Report on attrition of new teachers

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released Attrition of New Teachers Among Recent College Graduates, a study that compares the attrition rates of new teachers to new professionals in other white-collar occupations. According to the study, among graduates who were employed in

The study was produced by the educational consulting firm MPR Associates, Inc. for the Department of Education in response to concerns about a national teacher shortage and compares the job stability of 1992-93 bachelor's degree recipients who went into a variety of careers, including teaching.

An overwhelming majority of the teachers in the study said their jobs were related to their undergraduate majors, and that their jobs had career potential. Both of these are positive findings relating to the job stability associated with teaching.

According to Robin Henke, the MPR Associates senior researcher who led the study for NCES, "If it's true that new teachers among new college graduates are no more likely to leave their occupation than their peers in other professions, then it may be as important to create programs that help college students choose and plan for careers as to create programs to support new teachers."

To read the complete study, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/ 2001189.pdf.