Here One Year, Gone the Next (Chicago IL)

Just a quick note to highlight the release today of ACORN's third annual survey of teacher turnover, which includes school by school information that you don't often see from CPS or anyone else.

Clearly, teachers at some schools are dropping out of the system at ridiculously high rates. Even more alarming, there is little detailed information comparing teacher dropout rates at various schools, much less data on where these teachers go and why they left.

According to the study, turnover is on the rise at 64 schools serving low-income children, including a 39 percent turnover of first year teachers and a 25 percent rate overall from last year to the year before. More than a third of all teachers in their first five years are also leaving these schools from one year to the next, according to ACORN. The report shows that roughly 15 percent of teachers at these schools are new to the classroom, or about six per school. More than 30 percent are within their first five years of teaching.

Even a cursory reading of the findings suggests that retention efforts must go beyond the first year or two of a teacher's time in the classroom and that retention efforts should be targeted where they are most needed, rather than the current across-the-board effort funded through GOLDEN (the new MINT). The report also shows the need for better data on teacher retention and turnover than CPS provides. At present, there are no exit surveys for teachers leaving the system, so no one really knows why they are leaving or where they are going.

The complete report, by Sheri Frost, can apparently be sent to you if you email: atmsteve@rcn.com

See also:
Inner city teachers' turnover is charted Chicago Tribune
Study finds many don't last in Chicago schools AP