Why New Career & Technical Education Teachers Leave, Why New Ones Stay and How Principals Affect Attrition and Retention Rates

Abstract

New teacher attrition rates represent one of the largest operating costs for school districts. What may be the most significant problem concerning the profession"s dismal new teacher retention rates is that it seriously impacts the education of students. Studies have shown that when students have a new teacher three times, altogether they lose up to a year of schooling. This study looks at the estimated numbers of new teachers who leave the profession within the first few years of teaching and does so not only for general education teachers in core curricula courses but also examines how the attrition rates of new career & technical instructors compare. Most importantly, this study looks at how the supervisory styles of principals can be seen as one of the largest contributing factors to new teacher dissatisfaction, and conversely, one of the strongest influencing factors for retaining new talent in the classroom. Concerns around teacher retention with the external contexts and challenges of COVID-19 are also raised.

We need to know more about CTE teachers

“…Unlike STEM teachers, most of whom likely entered the field through traditional academic learning pathways, CTE teachers may have received most of their workforce training in settings as diverse as an automotive garage or a working farm. Qualitative research on CTE teachers highlights that they may need further professional development, assistance integrating into the school, or help building relationships with administrators (Boone & Boone, 2007; Deever et al, 2020). While there is some limited evidence that CTE teachers have less extensive pedagogical training than their counterparts in traditional academic classrooms, it is unclear whether a traditional certification process offers enough preparation for CTE teachers to translate their workforce experience into effective classroom teaching (Clark, Kelsey, & Brown, 2014; Kerna, 2012).…”