Dr. Ingersoll has been studying teacher retention for decades. He reported in July 2014, the turnover of teachers may cost the United States up to $2.2 billion dollars. NPR published their interview with the professor today.
The most poignant part of the interview is Dr. Ingersoll’s answer regarding district administrators understanding the costs of teacher turnover. He stated, “No. I don’t think so at all.”
Some of the reasons for teachers leaving a school includes student behavior, teacher-teacher interaction, administrator-teacher interactions, and personal reasons (e.g., family moving or transitioning). Hard to staff schools have a higher turnover rate than the national turnover average.