Preventing teacher turnover, part 1: Give teachers a voice in school decision making

How can we keep good teachers from leaving DC schools? As part of the Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship (TPF) program, a group of DCPS and charter teachers has been meeting for the past year to formulate recommendations. This is the first part of a three-part series exploring their ideas. Teach Plus aims to improve outcomes for urban children by ensuring that more students have access to effective, experienced teachers.

It’s a question teachers often hear when April rolls around: “Are you coming back next year?” For many teachers, the answer is no. Perhaps if teachers had a greater voice in decision making at the schools where they work, more of them would say yes.

Studies have estimated that 40% to 50% of new teachers leave within the first 5 years of teaching. Within DCPS, the figure is closer to 70%.

Improving teacher retention is an important subject that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. High teacher turnover costs schools money and causes them to lose institutional memory.

It also damages working relationships between teachers and students. When teachers have to recreate those relationships on an annual basis, they don’t have as much energy left to devote to teaching. One study concluded that high turnover generally has a negative effect on student achievement, even if the overall level of teacher effectiveness stays the same.

Why do teachers leave in such high numbers? There are many factors, but one reason, according to an expert on the subject, is that teachers “have very little say” in what goes on in schools. And a 2005 report from Duke University found that teachers remain in the profession longer when they feel that their principals include them as part of a school community and allow them a voice in school decisions.

One solution to the problem of teacher turnover is to provide more opportunities for teachers’ voices to be heard. With our own teaching experiences in mind, my Teach Plus TPF cohort has recommended these measures:

• Survey all teachers about ways to improve how their school functions.
• Empower teachers to lead their colleagues in creating programs to improve the school climate.
• Train school principals and administrators in how to develop their leadership skills, respond to teachers’ ideas, and support teachers as instructional leaders.

If teachers are able to participate in improving their school, they’re more likely to feel invested in its future. And once they’re invested in the school’s future, they’re less likely to leave.

These proposals would also help principals get a better understanding of their teachers’ points of view. As a result, principals will be more likely to consider the voices of teachers when making decisions for the school as a whole.

I am proud to teach at a DC school that has a history of preparing students well for the future. Our graduates often return to visit their former teachers, attributing their success to their formative high school years.

If schools adopt measures like those my TPF cohort and I have recommended, the ultimate result will be a better educational experience for their students. And when those students come back to thank their old teachers, they’ll be more likely to find them still in the classroom.