What happens when teachers quit?
Teacher attrition continues to grow as teachers leave the profession. This cause has a number of negative effects which mainly include lower student achievement and the rising budgets of replacing teachers. The National Commission on teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) estimates that the national cost of public school teacher turnover could be over $7.3 billion a year. This results in a negative ripple effect for school districts, since their primary goal is student achievement. The more money they spend on replacing teachers, the less money they have to spend on student achievement. It is a lose- lose for school district management when teachers quit. Unfortunately, a new RAND survey reports that before the pandemic 1 out of 6 teachers were likely to leave, and now 1 out of 4 is considering quitting. These are consequences that are seen on the surface, but look at some long-term effects which are not as easily seen:
- Low student achievement leads to increased drop out rates
- Less equipped workforce
- Perpetuation of school to prison pipeline
- Crumbling foundation of education
Why are they quitting?
According to research conducted by The Brookings Institution, there were several reasons, but they noted the prevailing factor was disciplinary problems or the bad behavior of students. These problems contribute to frustration and disappointment in the classroom which influenced teachers to leave. (Organization referenced can be found here)
Student disciplinary problems
When teachers need to focus on student achievement, bad behavior disrupts the learning environment and wreaks havoc on the teacher and the other students.
Disappointment
When teachers continue to deal with bad behavior they become disappointed because of the unwillingness of their students to listen and learn.
Frustration
When teachers are faced with persistent bad behavior in the classroom, they become frustrated with the lack of obedience and the unwillingness of students to follow directions.
it's time to take a stand
By working together with community leaders to support teachers, we will strengthen the foundation of education on which we all stand. We need your help to build a better future for teachers.