A case study examining the retention of teachers in their first five years of the profession

In 1999, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that 25 percent of new teachers left the profession within their first five years of teaching to pursue alternative careers. An additional 25 percent left the profession because they were either no longer interested in teaching or they were dissatisfied with their career choice. Forty percent of those who left the profession stated that they would not return to teaching.;The reasons behind teacher dissatisfaction are several, including difficulty with student management, lack of monetary compensation, inadequate support from administration and weak induction and mentoring programs. Teacher attrition is a particular concern since maintaining the continuity and quality of a school's instructional programs are significant in an assessment and result driven culture. Teacher attrition has a direct effect on student achievement. This is significant because improved student achievement and progress are the focus of current national educational reform efforts.;Research on effective schools cites a sense of community within the school as being one of the most important characteristics. Rapid and consistent teacher turnover, however, becomes a barrier to developing a consistent school culture, one sensitive to the developmental needs of students and to the necessity of relationship building between students, teachers and parents.;The influence that workplace conditions have on teachers remaining in the profession is discussed at length in this study. These conditions include job satisfaction, salary schedules, administrative support and professional development opportunities. The attention that states and school districts devote to developing and funding professional development opportunities beginning with quality teacher induction and mentoring programs, is critical in a successful endeavor to increase teacher retention.;This case study examined the reasons behind high teacher attrition rates and the factors that contribute to retaining teachers, including actions that administrators and school districts can take to improve the culture and teacher retention rate. The study's results should lead to creating conditions that establish changes to improve the teacher retention rate, thus realizing the primary goal of improving student achievement.