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The Experience Factor

By John Norton

About half the teachers teaching in the nation’s public schools today are Baby Boomers, 50 years of age or older. Many are—or soon will be—eligible for retirement.

A 2009 report by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future noted that: “On a small scale, retirements can make room for a new generation of teachers who have the potential to bring fresh ideas and practices to our schools, (but) the impact of such a large scale exodus of accomplished veterans will be that a legacy of teaching expertise developed over decades of hands-on instruction in our nation’s classrooms will be lost to our schools, students, and new teachers.”

But how rapid will the exodus of Baby Boomers be? During some recent conversation in the Teacher Leaders Network discussion group, several classroom teachers who are approaching (or beyond) retirement age discussed their own late-career plans. While anecdotal, their comments point to a segment of Baby Boomer teachers who have a strong desire to capitalize on their hard-won knowledge and skills for as long as possible on...