Cost of Teacher Turnover Study

The Cost of Teacher Turnover

In 2007, NCTAF completed an 18-month pilot study of the costs of teacher turnover in five school districts across the country – the selected districts varied in size, location, and demographics, enabling us to explore how these variations affected costs.  We examined the costs of recruiting, hiring, processing, and training teachers at both the school and district levels.  Our findings indicate that the cost of turnover does vary from district to district, largely dependant upon the size of the district and the types of induction programs the district implements -- but in all cases, the cost of teacher turnover is substantial.  NCTAF will release a report of the study during the week of June 18th.

Currently, most education leaders do not know the costs of teacher turnover in their schools and districts.  If they did, they would be in a better position to manage their resources to reduce teacher turnover and improve teaching quality.  Therefore, in tandem with the release of our Cost of Teacher Turnover Report, NCTAF will release a Teacher Turnover Cost Calculator.  The Calculator will enable education leaders and members of the public to estimate the cost of teacher turnover in their own schools and districts. 

Download a presentation about the study, which was delivered at NCTAF's 2005 Symposium.

To find out more about the project, and to find out how your district, state, or organization can become involved, contact:

Ben Schaefer
Program Manager
National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
2100 M Street, NW
Suite 660
Washington, DC 20037
202.464.1933
202.429.2571 (fax)