Dive Brief:
- In a recent webinar for edWeb.net titled “Using Data to Combat Attrition and Keep Good Teachers,” Upbeat CEO and Founder Henry Wellington discussed strategies for schools and districts seeking to address factors contributing to teacher turnover.
- Teacher turnover can have a significant impact on student achievement, and research shows that 70% leave due to problems within the school environment, necessitating the use of data to identify exactly what's driving educators to new jobs, eSchool News reports.
- Among factors cited as contributing to turnover are principal/teacher trust, influence with administration, professional development quality, collaboration, work-life balance, and satisfaction with parent-teacher communication.
Dive Insight:
As with many other fields, data-driven decision-making is becoming increasingly prevalent in education. According to a report issued last year by the Center for Data Innovation, the use of data can facilitate more personalized, evidence-based, efficient and innovative education, but many schools and districts still fail to use it to great effect.
One way schools and districts can find out how educators feel about a variety of the factors identified as contributing to teacher turnover is to administer annual school climate surveys to educators as well as students. A number of states have incorporated such surveys into accountability indicators in their plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act. But schools and districts in those states that haven't would still be wise to adopt such measures regardless, as teacher shortages continue to serve as a thorn in the side of schools nationwide.
