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November 4, 2011

Study: High teacher turnover could trouble middle school reform

by Philissa Cramer, at 4:52 pm

More than half of teachers in city middle schools left their schools within three years, and most left teaching altogether, according to a new study that offers little insight about how to stem the exodus.

The study was presented yesterday at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s fall meeting, as part of a panel on teacher turnover. Will Marinell, a member of the Research Alliance, the independent body of researchers given access to city Department of Education data, and Teachers College professor Aaron Pallas conducted the analysis.

Mining data about teachers and their paths within the school system, the researchers found that 55 percent of middle school teachers leave their school within three years, higher than in elementary and high schools. They also found that their decision to leave was likely influenced more by their individual characteristics, such as their commute time and race, than by anything about their school.

According to the analysis, teachers are more likely to stay in their schools when students disproportionately share their race. In Manhattan, two-thirds of middle school teachers left within three years, the highest exit rate of any borough. Middle school teachers are more likely to consider leaving their school when they have a long commute or are required to teach a new subject. And teachers in schools that suspend many students are more likely to consider finding a new job.

“These rates of turnover are likely to make it challenging for middle school principals, and the teachers who remain in their schools, to establish organizational norms and a shared vision for their schools’ teaching and learning environment,” the study concludes.

That’s bad news for Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who recently announced a major initiative to improve the quality of the city’s middle schools.

One component of the plan is to recruit new principals and teachers to struggling middle schools. Here the study offers some advice:

For instance, incentives and reforms that reduce teachers’ commuting times may be a promising approach for reducing turnover. Similarly, given how much higher the odds of considering leaving one’s school are among teachers who reported teaching a new subject area, principals might be well advised to make every attempt possible to resolve staffing challenges in ways that don’t require assigning teachers to new subject areas.

But tinkering with policies is unlikely to shift the turnover trends that are already established, the study concludes.

“Taken together, the historic observed rates of turnover among new-to-school teachers … and the anticipated rates of turnover among all current teachers … suggest that teacher turnover is likely to be an enduring characteristics [sic] of New York City middle schools in the years to come.”

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  • District 13 parent

    Is there a correlation between race (i.e. students and teachers are of largely different races) and Teach For America? In other words, are the schools with the highest turnover those with high rates of TFA teachers, who often are of different race than the students in the inner city schools where they often teach? Would that skew the results? 

  • http://nyceducator.com/ NYC Educator

    I’m shocked and stunned. Why would anyone walk out on an cushy job like teaching? After all, from what I read, anyone could do it, and the only problem is we aren’t able to fire enough of them quickly enough. Once we start firing enough teachers we’ll retain more of them. After all, who will be able to resist the allure of the axes hanging over their heads? If you don’t pass enough kids you didn’t add value, and if you do you’re presumed a cheater and written up in the tabloids. It’s a win-win.

  • RM

    I read an article that confirmed that majority of TFA teacher’s leave teaching after five years of teaching. Problem with TFA teachers is that many of them use this as a stepping stool to get a hire paying job in other fields….they are padding their resumes.

  • bookworm

    All this on top of the fact that you get to spend your days with 11 – 13 year olds,and everyone knows how friendly, respectful, and easygoing they are, especially when they are around adults who are not their parents.

  • Guest

    White teachers have more options and that is why they leave. They can go to the burbs in higher numbers where they can earn more money.

    The sagging economy has done little to slow the upward creep of public school pay. A
    new study released Thursday shows that the highest public school pay in
    the state outside of New York City is more than $506,000, which is for
    the superintendent of Long Island’s Syosset school district. The Empire
    Center for New York State Policy, a conservative fiscal watchdog group,
    also says four districts have average teacher salaries of more than
    $95,000.
    A retired South Colonie school district administrator
    ranks 11th on the list. Two others from the district also made the
    top 100.
    Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/School-pay-in-spotlight-2250307.php#ixzz1cmbsz9VE

  • Guest

    ps that is  the better white teachers.  the bad white teachers are probably staying with the devoted ones… the burbs are much pickier about who they hire because they can be.

  • South Bronx

    Teacher turnover is inversely proportional to administration support.  The less the teachers are supported, the more likely they are to leave.  I worked for several years at a Bronx HS with very little support from admin.  Teachers left in droves year after year.  When I had had enough, I had to leave as well.  Strangely, I landed at another Bronx HS with the same demographics as my prior school … but the main difference is administrative support.  My new principal plays the multiple roles of azz-kicker, detention giver, and don’t F with me to the students.  For the first time in my teaching career, I could actually teach.  The students are no different from my prior school … they just know they can’t F around because the principal will F them up.  Teacher turnover is almost non-existent.  If I am allowed … I would happily work the next 30 years here and retire from this school.  The difference comes from up top.

  • Vote NO!

    Wait  until  the  new  Danielson  evaluation  rubric  is  implemented  system  wide. Then  you  will  see  “teacher  turnover.”  Remember  there  is  high  teacher  turnover  in  an  economy  with  9%  unemployment.  What  will  happen  with  “Danielson”  combined  with an  improving  labor  market?  How  will  NYC  retain  any  teachers  at  any  level?

  • I noticed that…

    Right on NYCE!  Your sarcasm hits the point home.  As the pro-deformers keep saying, “anyone can be a teacher”. 
     
    Yet, those pro-deformers would never set foot in a classroom of 34 needy, unruly, of families with low socio-economic status, coming from homes with maybe one parent as head of household, living in a shelter or foster home, and every child wants the teacher’s undivided attention. 
     
    Why would teachers want to leave an environment of learning in those conditions?

  • Brooklyn Science

    That’s not from a random article, either. TfA is very transparent about this being their MO. In fact, they exclude applicants who are entering teaching as a career change – TfA instead actively recruits those who are planning on using teaching as a stepping stone. It may not be clear on their web page, but all you have to do is visit their booth at a college fair, and it’s very clear that this is what they’re doing.

  • guest

    I taught in a middle school for a year.  I would live in a box before doing that again. Being at work each day was very depressing and not worth the heartache.  No one cared about learning, except the teachers.  The kids didn’t, except for a handful and most of the parents didn’t care either. I got a job in a HS (stayed in NYC).  Five years after I left the middle school, I was the only one still teaching.  They quit and changed fields or they retired.  The sad thing, some of them were really good teachers but couldn’t teach because the students wouldn’t let them. 

  • Former Teacher

    This is the truth.  I was told by a doctor that he/she did Teach for America to pad his resume to get into medical school.  Teaching is some type of charitable service.  Why does this not work both ways?  I taught for 15 years in NYC with disadvantaged populations and when I went to look for a general entry level job in the private sector, I was told I was overqualified for an 8 dollar and hour officet job

  • Ms. Applebee

    True indeed. Quite a few TFA teachers have told me that they plan to go to law school after 2 or 3 years of teaching. Teaching is just a stepping stone for lot of them. This is America and people have the choice to do what they want. However, I really do not feel any sense of attachment to these teachers who are just “slumming it” for a few years to bulk up their resumes. Why should I or any other teacher give them advice of help when they are just planning on leaving anyway?

  • South Bronx

    TfA aren’t fools.  They realize they need to continually bring in more fodder for the revolving door.  If their commitment is to bring in life long teachers, then the well would dry up for them quickly.  But instead, they feed the school systems with temporary workers who use the subsidized masters degree as a stepping stone for more lucrative careers.  This leaves a void which they use to fill with more temporary workers.  Get it?  It’s a never ending cycle … and TfA benefits from this. 

  • Roma Giudetti

    Couldn’t agree more, South Bronx.  When you have a supportive admin, (one that doesn’t blame every problem the school has on poor teaching) it makes a difference for the teachers and for the kids.  

  • MS Math Teacher

    I am not a TFA member or NYC Teaching Fellow. I am simply a former engineer that made the decision to return to school in order to teach the less fortunate students in NYC’s public schools. I entered my Bronx middle school last September, 2010. In my second year, I am prepared and trying to leave the teaching profession altogether in order to go back to engineering. Only one of my colleagues that entered the school at the same time as me remains in the school (a TFA recruit that plans to leave for medical school at the end of the year). There were originally 6 of us. This has been an “A” middle school for the last three years.

    I am leaving because:
    -I have no support from administration at all. I discipline the students according to NYC DOE standards, and then when I get to the point where the child is supposed to be suspended, it never happens and problems persist. Countless grievances have been filed with no changes made whatsoever.
    -When a student should be suspended for doing something incomprehensible, instead of the student being berated, I am berated for their behavior.
    -Because there are more special needs students in my classes than I can handle, my classes are out of control. One class that I teach accomplishes nothing. I am more a babysitter than a teacher.
    -Parents are either nonexistent, ineffective, or don’t speak any English at all.
    -I came to help the children that need my help the most, but they are the ones that do not care one iota about being there. Friday afternoon, one student said I was a “terrible teacher that was only interested in receiving a paycheck.” This is despite the fact that I was paid double what I’m making now as an engineer without being verbally assaulted or threatened on a daily basis. This is far from the first time I’ve been accused of this. It sounds to me like it’s coming originally from what they hear at home. It is also one of countless excuses students use to justify their laziness and lack of accomplishment.
    -The learned helplessness apparent in school is appalling. The kids can’t do anything on their own. Students ask me for help with math problems that they haven’t even looked at yet.
    -The amount of cheating and copying is amazing. Students are caught copying and grow angry at the teachers for taking their paper away or reducing points.
    -I’m tired of spending all night and all weekend creating engaging lesson plans that make no difference from a read-the-text-and-answer-the-questions lesson. I’m tired of grading assignments and presenting feedback that the students don’t use.
    -I’m tired of the panic attacks.
    -I’m tired of having no patience or no time with my family for ungrateful brats.
    -I could go on forever.

    I knew it would be difficult, but not like this. In hundreds of days of teaching, I have had only a handful of days I would deem “successful.” Seriously, with the behavior that we deal with, my question to any teacher is “Why bother?”

  • Dspez

    here is a thought- rather than focus on whats broken why not focus on what works. Ask the veteran middle school teachers their opinions. Personally I believe you are best suited for 1 location. Elementary Teachers are definitely Elementary, High School definitely the same. Middle School Teachers are a different breed. We enjoy watching them grow from children to young adults. We find humor in the change and we care enough to guide those who need it.SuccessfulTeachers only want to teach in in their element

  • nuff said

    Sorry to hear it, but maybe you are not suited for this.Granted the City threw you in a tough spot as a starting teacher and they continue to do so with others and that increases the burnout exponentially

  • Guest

    There is a correlation between teacher attrition where the majority of students are of a different race then the teacher.

    There is also a correlation between high teacher attrition and being a TFAer. Although it

    is difficutlt to determine whether TFAers are leaving at a higher rate than teachers in similar schools since TFAers largely work in challenging settings.

  • Saddened by the current state

    The list you wrote is nothing new and faced by almost all NYC public school teachers.  You are not alone in this situation.  If you choose to leave, best of luck to you.  If you choose to stay, remember, this is only your 2nd year.  Things will improve as you improve your classroom management style.  I would also suggest looking into another outer borough school.  The Bronx is notorious for killing new teachers’ dreams.  Your administration is no different than every other lame duck school in the Bronx.  BTW, the engineering field in NY isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be either … there are almost no engineering jobs left in NYC. 

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