Taking A Look At Teacher Turnover

Our special report on teacher compensation in Hawaii turned up all kinds of other interesting story ideas worth pursuing. One of these came from the data showing the teacher turnover rate in Hawaii's schools ranges from 10 percent at Washington Middle School in downtown Honolulu to 60 percent at Waiahole Elementary School in Kaneohe.

Which schools have the highest teacher turnover, why and how does that affect the kids? I'll be working on hammering out the answers to these questions (and more!) over the next couple of days. Meanwhile, I'll just share a recent tidbit on teacher turnover rates, from the National Center for Education Statistics:

Turnover rate at high-poverty public K-12 schools was 21 percent in 2004 — nearly 7 percent higher than at low-poverty public schools.

Teachers aren't paid less for working in those schools, so is it the work conditions that drive so many of them to quit? Christine Sorensen, dean of the University of Hawaii College of Education, said work environment is more important to most teachers than compensation.

If that is the case, what are the specific work conditions these teachers struggle with and what are some realistic ways to address them?

Talk about teacher turnover in our ongoing teacher compensation conversation. To keep your finger on the education pulse throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: @ktpoy.

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