| To better understand how strategic management policies may mitigate teacher turnover, this study presents an alternative conceptual framework, which links three interrelated factors of teaching quality to attitudinal constructs that may influence teachers' turnover decisions. The teacher turnover model, derived from applied psychology, examines how teachers' job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, shocks and economic opportunity are associated with different turnover outcomes. Using structural equation modeling with data from two large national datasets—the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey and the 2008-2009 Teacher Follow-up Survey—this study aims to identify the determinants of and relative influence of these constructs on five different teacher turnover outcomes. The findings indicate that job satisfaction is significantly, negatively related to turnover intentions, which, in turn, predicts teachers that stay in their respective schools from one year to the next. A broad theme emerges from the findings that suggest teachers stay in their respective schools from one year to the next for similar reasons, yet teachers that engage in intra- and inter district movement and attrition from the public teaching profession do so for a variety of reasons. These results signal potential strategic teacher talent management policies aimed at supporting teachers and their work. |
