As new and veteran teachers leave the field, their former colleagues must pick up the slack, both in terms of students, as well as new teacher training. For example, according to the Personnel Master File of upstate New York, whenever teachers leave the profession, the class sizes of their former colleagues increase. Similarly, as schools attempt to replace the teachers that leave, they must reallocate resources and personnel to train and mentor those replacements. This amounts to increased workload for both those teachers that stay in the profession, as well as an increased workload for administrative and support personnel.
According to “How Teacher Turnover Affects Student Achievement,” when teachers leave the profession, students’ score lower on various standardized tests meant to indicate their performance. This, in turn, puts additional pressure on those teachers, both new and old, who remain in the schools. Many states have instituted policies that tie teachers’ job security and salary with the success of their students on standardized tests. When teachers leave the profession -- adversely affecting student achievement -- they put additional pressure on their remaining colleagues to pick up the slack in terms of students’ achievements on standardized tests, and protect their own job security and salaries.
Richard Ingersoll and Michael Strong, professors of education at the University of Pennsylvania, advocate for the institution of teacher mentoring programs in schools. These programs help new teachers adjust to the rigors of the teaching profession. Both Ingersoll and Strong recognize, however, the difficulty of instituting such programs into schools with high levels of attrition. They identify a negative loop in schools with lots of teacher turnover. Teachers that stay are spread too thin to aid in mentoring programs. Consequently, many new teachers do not receive the support and mentoring they need, and many of these teachers end up leaving, thus perpetuating the cycle.
Ingersoll and Strong also recognize the importance of building a strong community of teachers within a school setting. These environments encourage collaboration and provide teachers with a strong support network. It is difficult, if not impossible, to build such a strong community of supporting teachers when there is a high level of teacher turnover. According to an article by the National Education Association entitled “Why They Leave,” a feeling of being isolated in a classroom is a primary reason why teachers leave the profession. Consequently, as teachers leave the field, new and veteran teachers are less inclined to build a community, which in turn leads to further feelings of isolation, and more teacher attrition.