Factors Related to Teacher Mobility and Attrition

Complete report

In coordination with the Educator Pipeline Research Alliance, REL Central analyzed two years of data provided by state education agencies in Colorado, Missouri, and South Dakota to identify factors related to teacher mobility and attrition. Compared with teachers who remained in their school, teachers who moved to different schools were more likely to: Be special education teachers Be younger Have taught in their previous school for fewer years Have previously been teaching in a school with a low accountability rating Have previously been teaching in a school with a lower average teaching salary In contrast, teachers who left the state public school system or took a nonteaching position were more likely than teachers who remained in their schools to: Be older Have been working less than half time Have earned a lower salary Have taught in their previous district for fewer years Have previously been teaching in a school with a low accountability rating Have previously been teaching in a school that paid a lower average teaching salary Have previously been teaching in a school with a higher proportion of racial/ethnic minority students