Teacher Attrition and Mobility

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Among teachers who left teaching in 2008-09, about 5.3 percent of public school teachers left because their contract was not renewed, compared to 13.0 percent of private school teachers whose contract was not renewed. NCES has released the Teacher Attrition and Mobility: Results From the 2008–09 Teacher Follow-up Survey. This First Look presents findings about teacher mobility and attrition among elementary and secondary school teachers in grades K–12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Teacher Follow-up Survey examines the characteristics of those who stay in the teaching profession and those who leave, including retirees. The survey also allows comparisons of the characteristics and opinions of teachers who remain at the same school the following year with those of teachers who either move to a different school or leave the profession. Other findings include:

• Among public school teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience, 77.3 percent stayed in their base-year school, 13.7 percent moved to another school, and 9.1 percent left teaching in 2008–09.

• Among private school teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience, 72.2 percent stayed in their base-year school, 7.2 percent moved to another school, and 20.6 percent left teaching in 2008–09.

This report is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences.