Heading for the Hills: An Evaluation of the Conditions Impacting Teacher Attrition and Retention in Post-Pandemic California Title I Schools

Abstract

The low rates of preservice and early in-service teacher retention in California’s Title I schools have been a longstanding concern and contributing factor in the state’s teacher shortage. However, the impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) pandemic exacerbating teacher attrition creates a concern for how frameworks of new teacher support should be re-examined in post-pandemic classrooms. This study aimed to understand what factors are most important to preservice and early in-service teachers working in Title I schools when deciding to retain or resign from their positions. Additionally, this study examined whether reported factors associated with teacher attrition and retention differ from historically relevant factors, and the degree to which teacher demographic information or independent factors moderate attrition and retention. Findings from this study showed the only factor significantly associated with preservice and early in-service teacher attrition was the degree to which positions aligned with teachers’ personal ideologies and beliefs on effective instruction. No other factors or demographic information moderated the relationship between ideology and attrition/retention. Teachers who reported ideological alignment were 78.3% less likely to leave, while those with low alignment were 4.6 times more likely to resign. While several combinations of factors correlated with attrition/retention, only ideology and beliefs significantly predicted outcomes. Results suggest that this novel factor outweighs historically relevant predictors as well. Given the non- experimental design, further research is needed to explore how these findings can inform improved support frameworks for new teachers in Title I schools