An analysis of federal data estimates that the share of teachers who leave the profession after five years may be closer to 30 percent than the often-quoted statistic of 50 percent.
Moreover, the rate of retention is similar for teachers in low- and high-poverty schools, Robert Hanna and Kaitlin Pennington of the Center for American Progress write in the analysis, released last week. Their study is based on an examination of the federal Schools and Staffing Survey from 2007-08 and its follow-up study, the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study. The authors also analyzed data from the 2011-12 sass and its follow-up.
They estimate that, with both the 2007-08 and 2011-12 sets, about 70 percent of new teachers were still teaching after five years, including those at schools where 80 percent or more of the students were eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.
