Justin Davenport - Teacher Retention in The United States
Justin Davenport - Teacher Retention in The United States
Justin Davenport - Teacher Retention in The United States
Justin Davenport
Abstract
Teacher retention in the United States has hit an all-time low. Many individuals are
leaving the field for other careers, not entering it at the college level or simply are leaving
schools with lower pay, and high minority statues, to take jobs in more affluent districts. The
research suggest that turn over in a district can cost upwards to $20,000 per teacher to replace
when they leave in an urban district. The research further suggested that teachers are the number
one contributor to student success in the classroom and those schools with the highest turnover
directly affect the student achievement in those schools (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond,
2017). This specific issue is largely a problem of equity as it relates to students and communities
of high levels of diversity. It unequally burdens the local districts financially to compensate after
losing a staff, to retain new qualified staff, and the students’ achievement is greatly affected. This
report will address the reasons for the teacher shortage in the United States, Michigan, and three
possible solutions that have been suggested by the researchers on how to fix the teacher retention
problem. This report supports the policy proposal to provide financial incentives to teachers in
the form of bonus pay, longevity pay, sign on bonus, incentive pay for high needs subject areas
Research Review
According to the research conducted by the Learning Policy Institute the teacher turnover
rate is currently at 16%, where 8% leave the field and 8% leave for another district. Of all
teachers who leave the field, 67% of them do so voluntarily (Carver- Thomas, Darling-
Hammond, 2017). The turnover rate also varies based on location in the United States, the
southern States having a larger turnover rate then the north. . A major area of concern from this
report was the percentage of turnover in high area needs schools that are qualified as Title I. In
Title I schools the turnover rate for math and science teachers was 70% greater than the non-Title
I schools. This turnover rate was the worst in areas that are serving the historically underserved
students (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond, 2017). This serves as an issue of equity in our
public schools in the United States. A large number of students who are historically underserved
are still being disenfranchised, not provided the same learning opportunity, resource availability,
highly qualified staff, and taught at the college or career ready standards.
Teaching conditions in the school, and school support was another reported area of
reason for teacher turn over according to the Learning Policy Institutes report. The three areas
that were the largest predictor of teacher retention was: School leadership, collegial relationships
and school culture. Predicted turnover rate in schools with administration that was identified as
being very supportive was 10.5% whereas schools with very little administration support was
23.6%. The report found that highly-effective administrators had a higher rate of teacher
satisfaction and lower turnover rate especially in high-needs schools such as Title I (Carver-
Work quality and satisfaction at the job was cited as a major factor in determine teacher
retention. Teachers who worked in safe, supportive environments, with supporting and nurturing
administrators were the least likely to leave the field of education. (Carver- Thomas, Darling-
Hammond, 2017). These findings are paramount to a policy initiative at the State or National
level, it is important to district police makers to take into account if their district has a high
turnover rate that work quality, administration support and their perception of job satisfaction has
Compensation for teachers was cited as one of the major reasons for teacher turn over in
the United States. The pay wage for teachers that were below $40,000 in the first five years had a
10% higher turnover rate than those who started at or above $40,000. School districts with a
salary cap under $60,000 had a 13.9% turnover rate compared to those districts with $78,000 or
Florida supported a teacher program for approximately 20-years which had a focus on
retaining teachers in high-need areas such as math science and special education. The program
knowns as the FCTSP had abrupt changes over the 20-years in its funding by the state. The
program would provide loan forgiveness and sign on bonuses to teachers. Research was
conducted to determine the effectiveness of this program. The research found that student loan
forgiveness programs reduced attrition rates by 10.5 percent, and that a sign on bonus reduced
the likeliness if a teacher exiting by 32%. The cost-benefit analysis of these programs was
conducted and shows that both were cost effective (Feng, Sass, 2017).
Research was conducted by the Education Commissions of the States organization which
also researched the policy issue of teacher retention in the United States. The organization and its
researchers found that the evidence supports three causes for the shortage of teachers: 1. Teacher
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shortages within states are largely impacted by the state’s education policies, 2. Shortages are
related to content areas, and 3. Shortages effect schools with specific characteristics and
Teacher shortages within states are largely impacted by the state’s education policies.
The research suggested that teacher licensures and how hard or easy it is to receive, maintain and
transfer to other states effected the amount of teachers in each state. Teacher certification
requirements vary among the states, some requiring continuing education, others require specific
professional development and the number of hours, even some require paying for those
professional developments. These attributes collectively effect each state and how it is able to
Shortages are largely related to content areas and their needs. The research illustrated that
high need subject areas had shortages, such as math and science, however english and history did
not. The research indicates that colleges are producing educators but not in the demand area that
Teacher shortages are often confined to schools with specific characteristics and
demographics. The research found that high poverty, Title I, urban and rural schools with high
minorities status and low-achieving scores faced the most difficulty with staffing. These schools,
the research indicated, would have a harder time finding new staff, which results in larger
classrooms, sometimes the neighborhoods are not good, and the pay is low, therefore increasing
Further researcher on teacher tenure and its effect on staff turnover was conducted in the
nation’s largest school district, New York City. The city modified its tenure track, adding other
steps and effective rating on a 4-point scale. The research found that those placed on probation
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longer left 25 % of them left the school or teaching. This research also found that those entering
teaching through other programs such as Teach for America were more likely to leave the school
and teaching than those who were trained through a college (Loeb, Miller, Wyckoff, 2015). This
research is very important to the policy initiatives because it indicates how teacher preparation
programs and teacher work conditions such as tenure can affect the retention in a district.
In Michigan the turnover rate is 12.2 % and even higher if you are in the larger cities like
Detroit with an estimated turnover rate of 16.4%, largest portion of movers in Michigan were
related to those moving to other schools (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond, 2017). The
research also supports the earlier findings that state policies have a huge effect on the teacher
shortages within their state (Aragon, 2016). This is the prevailing issue that is happening in
Politics
Multiple solutions have been proposed to affect the teacher retention issue within the
United States and Michigan. The three prevailing are teacher pay, teacher preparation and
teacher leadership (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond, 2017). The Democratic platform
outlines the party’s affiliation to making education more affordable, loan forgiveness for many
students and increasing minority status and Historically Black colleges (Party Platform, 2018).
Their police agenda most closely aligns with the movement to retain and maintain teacher
retention in high-area needs, increase teacher pay, and other compensation benefits such as loan
forgiveness for entering education. The Republican platform focuses mostly on having a choice
in education, education reform in the form of funding, vouchers, smaller government and less
programs that are deemed a waste of tax payer dollars (Platform, 2018). This platform is mostly
opposed to the policy proposals that have been made to affect teacher retention, the platform is
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also a suggested leading cause of some states shortages as well as their governors have enacted
The retention issue in Michigan is major with multifaceted reasons for its existence.
Michigan teachers are leaving the field at higher rates than teachers nationally. The prior cohort
of educators showed a 32%-36% no longer teaching in Michigan after the 5th and 6th year. This is
a high attrition rate compared to the national norms. Retention issues are more prevalent in
communities that serve a large portion of students of minorities status and high poverty areas
such as rural and urban schools. Districts with high turnover rates state that they lost most of
their teachers to neighboring districts that pay more. Retention rates show a measure of stability
of a district and community. The MDE is also working to increase awareness of loan forgiveness
opportunities for teachers in hard-to-staff locations. The MDE and MEA support mentoring and
induction as a critical approach to teacher retention (L, Breen, Personal Communication, April
10, 2018).
The Michigan Education Association states that a major and prevailing issue that is
effecting teacher retention is cut in pay and benefits, over emphasis on test scores, attack on
teachers, collective bargaining and high stress. Currently in the state they have put guidelines to
retain teachers into the ESSA plan submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, and
alternative ways to receive certification into the classroom. The MEA opposes the alternative
methods to the classroom because it requires less training and professionalism, many studies
have been conducted to show this was a short-term solution, and those obtaining those positions
often left the field after three to five years. MEA states that republican leadership over the past
several years has failed to return educational spending back to the pre-recession levels. (C.
Proposed Solutions
The first proposal addresses teacher compensation. The research conducted has found
that teacher salary rates have been on the decline since the 1990s and that some states the pay is
so low, a teacher raising a family of four would qualify for government aid (Carver- Thomas,
Darling- Hammond, 2017). Also considered in this proposal is the alternative compensation
methods used in other field to retain professionals such as loan forgiveness in high-needs areas
and working in schools identified as high minority status. These programs included longevity
pay, sign-on bonuses, content specific bonus pay, attendance pay and other incentives deemed
necessary (Feng, Sass, 2017). This would decrease the shortage and in turn help stabilize these
high-need schools, it also would provide qualified teachers who met a college level standard not
an alternative certification. Teachers who entered the field from alternative programs were 25%
more likely to leave the field within two-years (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond, 2017).
This policy proposal is best proposed at the national level as most student loans are federally
funded, and at the State level where policy agendas can be created and established to affect the
entire state. This policy is important for those whose districts qualify for this type of loan
forgiveness to write their legislatures and those in the federal level to continue support for these
loan programs. Local districts need to be aware of the federal and state programs that exist for
loan forgiveness and how to propose them to potential and current employees. These programs
generally require you work in a high needs subject area and an urban or rural setting for five
years. After the five year period and making qualifying payments on the loans, an educator can
have all or partial of their loans forgiven (Loan Forgiveness, 2018). This incentive would help
retain teachers in the district for at least five years to meet the criteria set forth by the law to
Proposal two addressed teacher preparation and support in their school. One proposal that
has been successful is utilizing a teacher residence program where teachers are affiliated with a
college or university earning a master’s degree. While in this program they work one full year
with a professional teacher with the understanding they will commit to 3-5 years in this district
after the first-year training. This model is similar to residency programs we see in medical fields.
The programs cited offered tuition assistance, a stipend for living expenses and two years of
mentoring in the program. This model was very effective in retaining teachers in urban and rural
areas, specifically teachers of color in math and science, their retention rate was above average
over a five-year period (Carver- Thomas, Darling- Hammond, 2017). This proposal focuses on
teacher preparation as the source of retention issue, therefore providing them with more
applicable time in the training phase and working with a master teacher they will succeed. They
program added levels of professional development to support the teachers, college training and a
mentor designated to that member. The positives of this proposal are that it works closely to
adequately prepare teachers, supports them with master teachers and continues professional
development. The negatives of this program are that it financially requires the district to pay
stipend to the learning teacher and tuition incentives while they learn. Michigan is an at-will
employment state, after that training there is no guarantee that the candidate will stay in the
position and will cost the district more money to replace in the long run of the program.
Proposal three focuses on school leadership and harvesting that leadership within districts
and the local school levels. This proposal focuses on building leadership within the school
district that can handle the needs of the school, has the proper skillsets to address the needs and
also work to improve teaching conditions. The research cites Title II of Every Student Succeeds
Act can fund residencies for principal training and state leadership academies that can be
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developed to bring professionals into leadership positions who will encourage teacher retention,
develop leaders and support effective teaching and learning (Carver- Thomas, Darling-
Hammond, 2017). This proposal is also supported by the MEA which supports developing
district and building level leadership positions within the district to empower the staff and also to
increase the voice of educators in the field of education (C. Madafferi, Personal Communication,
April 10, 2018). The positives of this proposal are that it empowers staff to take initiative in the
district, to take leadership roles in areas of expertise or interest and provide the knowledge and
experience from those actually teaching in the classroom. The negatives of this program are that
it unnecessarily requires the district to create leadership role in areas that do not exist, and
possibly provide pay stipends for those newly created position. For this program to least over a
long-term goal, the possibility of leadership roles must be provided in theory to all staff members
to help retain them, which is not feasible. Some school leaders will push back against this this
type of initiative because it seems to shift power from the administrator and put it on the
educator.
Teacher retention is a problem because it can cost a district upward to $20,000 to replace
a staff member when they leave the district, these costs can be even higher in high poverty, rural
or urban areas. Research has also been conducted on alternative methods to achieving a teacher
certification, the research has indicated that these programs have a poor retention rate as well and
classroom. Within the state mandated high stake test assessments, it is imperative that students
have qualified educators who area properly trained and able to teach them. To ensure this it is
further necessary to incorporate incentive pays that work to maintain and retain teachers within a
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district, therefore preventing a burdensome cost to the district and affecting the student’s
The policy recommendation that is being selected is the teacher pay incentive that was
discussed in the research and is a policy that would best be implemented at the local level
because it is affecting the teacher retention that effects the local school district. The federal and
state programs are already in existence supporting the student loan forgiveness (Loan
important to prevent its cancelation of the program. Research suggest that teacher pay is
contributing factor to teachers leaving the field and leaving districts (Carver- Thomas, Darling-
Hammond, 2017). Research also concluded that teacher student loan burden was a contributing
factor in teachers leaving the field for other higher paying jobs (Aragon, 2016).
Research concluded that the areas that are hit the hardest are high needs such as rural,
urban areas and the historically underserved. The research found that it can cost the district
upwards to $20,000 to replace a teacher in these high area needs, often with a candidate who is
underqualified or obtained certification through other venues other than the traditional route.
These teachers, the research found, often do not stay in the district past five years, further hurting
the district, and the students that are being served in the community (Aragon, 2016). Due to these
findings it is imperative to create opportunities to retain these teachers, or attract the teachers to
high need areas, rural, urban and historically underserved. The data indicates that the retention
issue not only cost the district financially, but that it also has major implication in the lives of the
Opponents of this position have argued that teacher motivation is not solely dependent on
pay and that this policy would be wasteful spending because other motivators are possible that
cost less money. Professor Andrews from Olney Central College researched merit pay. First the
research addressed that numerous studies throughout the years have found merit pay was
ineffective for teacher performances. The professor subsequently argues that recognition of
outstanding teachers is more effective then extrinsic motivator such as money (Andrews, 2011).
This argument is true based on the research about merit pay as an incentive for teachers’
performance and students test score; the study however did not research the effects of incentive
pay to increase teacher retention, which is a completely different topic then merit pay. The
research conducted was to determine if merit pay was an effective means to increase teacher
Superintendents and school leaders throughout the nation as they try to fill positions while
maintaining a high-quality education for students. Research has showed that teachers who enter
the field from alternative methods often left the field within five years, leaving the district still
struggling to find high quality staff (Loeb, Miller, Wyckoff, 2015). The findings of the research
also indicate it cost upwards to $20,000 to replace a teacher in a high needs area. Furthermore,
research from Florida showed that sign-on bonuses and teacher loan forgiveness programs
reduced the staff leaving by 32 % (Feng, Sass, 2017). It is imperative that this policy change
happens now to further reduce the effects of retention issues on the local district and community.
Providing incentive pay, and working with staff to support them getting student loan forgiveness
would increase their likelihood to stay in the district as concluded by a study in Florida (Feng,
Sass, 2017).
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Federal and state loan forgiveness options already exist with students for specific loans.
This information can readily be found and utilized on the government provided websites. To
institute this into an incentive package for the district, the school must meet certain criteria, one
of which is high needs, historically underserved, and specific subject areas (Loan Forgiveness,
2018). This serves as a tool useable to the districts that meet those guidelines to use as incentive
The first step would be for the district to create a committee of teachers, staff, central
office and administrators who would learn about the programs, seek out other programs that may
exist and even scholarship for those staff who wish to continue education. Preparing this as a
presentation and a package to current and new staff as a reason to stay in the district. The team
would become trained in filling out the documents and requirements of the law, they would
designate an individual in the building level or district level to work with qualifying staff on
these programs.
Second step for this committee would be to have central office examine the financial
options that exist in the district for incentive pay such as sign on bonus, longevity bonus, or other
pay incentives deemed appropriate and possible within the budget. These would have to be
proposed and approved by the board before they would be able to be utilized within the district
to increase retention.
The third step would be to create a training for the staff and an incentive package to share
with current and qualified staff. In order for this policy to be effective it has to be known to the
staff and those who are seeking employment in the field of education that meet the needs of the
district. Communicating this policy with staff, and providing venues to share this with qualifying
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staff would be imperative, such as reaching out to colleges, universities, job fairs and postings on
district websites.
The forth step would be to monitor the program, continue research to stay knowledgeable
about federal and state options and other qualifying research that supports teacher retention.
Sharing this information with the committee and making adequate changes. Feedback and
reflecting on the data that becomes available would serve as a role for the committee to continue
to ensure the policy is effective and supporting retention of teachers in the district.
Teacher retention is a problem because it can cost a district upward to $20,000 to replace
a staff member when they leave the district, these costs can be even higher in high poverty, rural
or urban areas. Research has also been conducted on alternative methods to achieving a teacher
certification, the research has indicated that these programs have a poor retention rate as well and
classroom. Within the state mandated high stake test assessments, it is imperative that students
have qualified educators who are properly trained and able to teach them. To ensure this it is
further necessary to incorporate incentive pays that works to maintain and retain teachers within
a district, therefore preventing a burdensome cost to the district and affecting the students’
A staff retention committee would be established to research and propose a policy for the
district to retain teachers. This committee would be made up of stakeholders who offer expertise
in areas such as finance, budgeting, human resource, education, and mentoring. Superintendents,
administration, teachers, department chairs, union leaders and central office staff would create
the committee with the goal to determine financial incentives to retain teachers in the district.
This cohort of individuals would have the influence necessary due to their position, role in the
Create a Vision
The vision of this committee is to create a package of financial incentives to maintain and
retain the staff that it has, and an attractive option to acquire hard to staff positions such as math,
science and special education. The purpose of this committee is to create, and investigate
financial incentives that exist at the federal and state level, for teachers in high needs subject
areas and/or high needs communities. The committee will also research other pay incentives that
are possible with the district budget to retain teachers through sign on bonuses, longevity pay,
and other pay incentives the committee deems appropriate. Research suggest it can cost up to
$20,000 per teacher to replace in high needs areas or communities, it therefore is financially an
The committee will report its findings to the board for approval and official adoption as a
policy into the district. Once adopted the program will be shared with the staff during a
professional development and also used as an incentive during interviews and job fairs to acquire
and retain qualified teachers. A central office staff member will be assigned to the role of
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supporting teachers with monitoring their qualifications and loan forgiveness through federal and
state opportunities. Professional development will be held by the committee on federal and state
options as well as district incentives for qualified and interested staff. This will serve as a method
of communicating the vision and keeping the vision active within the district. This also provides
the opportunity for those members to stay updated on federal and state options as well as district
Empowering Others
The committee will work to empower others by giving them incentives to stay in the
district and also the ability to publicize the district to other qualified outstanding teachers they
know. The federal and state programs that exist would empower staff to continue to teach
because it offers a great incentive to paying off or part of their student loans, an area that many
teachers struggle with over the course of their career. This program also empowers others
because it is an opportunity for individuals to take on leadership roles in the district, creating
incentives and alternatives to increase teacher retention, it provides a platform for alternative
options to be discussed and proposed. Allowing input and voice in the process empowers
individuals to participate.
Early wins are essential to creating change within the district. These wins serve as a
motivator to those involved that they are able to produce the adequate change in a timely
manner. It motivates them to continue on with the work. The committee will work together along
with central office to secure an early win by providing a pay incentive at the start of the school
year for staff members who have signed on for the school year. This early win will convince
those who are skeptical that the incentive does exist and is being utilized. Other early wins would
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be the staff member who will meet individually with teachers who are interested in using federal
or state programs to reduce or eliminate student debt. Another short-term win would be the
ability to fill vacant positions that have been traditionally hard for the district to fill, by educating
the candidates about incentives that they would qualify for, or receive by working in the district.
Consolidate Improvements
Feedback and revision of this program is necessary for its success. The committee will
review data including: retention rates of teachers in the district, areas of shortage based on
subject, research alternative options such as grants, federal and state programs, and district
options based on the budget. Surveys will also be conducted to determine if the program is
effective, if it had any effect on the retention of the teachers in the district. The feedback and
applicable data will be reviewed by the committee and create changes as needed to ensure its
success.
Institutionalize Changes
The new policy would provide the new method of doing things within the district because
it is incorporated into the employee benefits and offered to the candidates who apply for
positions. Staff would be educated on the bonus pays and how they apply to them in the regular
pay schedule. The federal and state programs that exist require at least five years of teaching in a
qualified area such as high needs or subject area. The central office staff will work with those
teachers to provide the paperwork, certification of the paperwork and tracking it accurately for
the staff. These news procedures would ensure the change is implemented and continues on after
Conclusion
Teacher retention has been a national and state level concern for the past 10 years and
some states even longer. States are unable to fill high needs areas such as math, science and
special education. Districts and communities that serve the traditionally underserviced, at needs,
Title I school, rural and urban are affected the most by these shortages (Carver- Thomas,
Darling- Hammond, 2017). Political parties on the national, state and local level also have played
a major role in the teacher retention issue, Republicans citing this as an issue of choice, school
educate our youth, affordable education, address the historically underserved in this country
(Party Platform, 2018). Three proposed policy actions to address the teacher retention issue are
teacher compensation and student loads (Feng, Sass, 2017) (Carver- Thomas, Darling-
Hammond, 2017), teacher preparation and in school support, and teacher leadership, upward
The recommendation for this problem of retaining teachers is to create district level
incentive pay to retain teachers in the district and attract candidates to the district. A committee
would determine what financial options exist in the district for incentive pays including:
longevity pay, sign-on bonus, subject area bonus pay, and other areas deemed necessary by the
committee. The committee would also investigate state and federal programs that exist for loan
forgiveness to train staff on these options and new qualifying candidates to the district. A
member of the team at the building and central office level would be trained to assist with the
References
Aragon, S. (2016, May). Your education policy team. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from
https://www.ecs.org/
https://www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/Teacher-Shortages-What-We-Know.pdf
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017, August). Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters
and What We Can Do About It. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/teacher-turnover-report
Political Platform
Feng, L., & Sass, T. (30 October 2017). The Impact of Incentives to Recruit and Retain Teachers
112-135. doi:https://doi-org.cmich.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/pam.22037
Forgiveness, Cancellation, and Discharge Charts. (2018, April 18). Retrieved from
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/charts
Loeb, S., Miller, L. C., & Wyckoff, J. (2015). Performance Screens for School Improvement.