TY - JOUR
T1 - Retention and turnover of teaching staff in a high-quality early childhood network
AU - the Educare Learning Network Investigative Team
AU - Bryant, Donna
AU - Yazejian, Noreen
AU - Jang, Wonkyung
AU - Kuhn, Laura
AU - Hirschstein, Miriam
AU - Soliday Hong, Sandra L.
AU - Stein, Amanda
AU - Bingham, Gary
AU - Carpenter, Kim
AU - Cobo-Lewis, Alan
AU - Encinger, Amy
AU - Fender, Jodi
AU - Green, Sheridan
AU - Greenfield, Daryl
AU - Jones Harden, Brenda
AU - Horm, Diane
AU - Jackson, Barbara
AU - Jackson, Todd
AU - Raikes, Helen
AU - Rasher, Sue
AU - Rasher, Sarah
AU - Resnick, Gary
AU - Spieker, Susan
AU - Stoiber, Karen
AU - Sweet-Darter, Mary
AU - Tokarz, Stephanie
AU - Walker, Dale
AU - White, Lisa
AU - Wilcox, Jeanne
N1 - Funding Information:
The findings reported here are based on research conducted as part of the Educare Learning Network (ELN) National Evaluation funded by the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the George Kaiser Family Foundation under contract to the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in conjunction with the Network's LEP/NEP Research Consortium. Generous local sources fund each school's local evaluator. The Consortium consists of representatives from the programs participating in the evaluation, the local research teams, the evaluation contractors, and Start Early. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funders. We thank the Educare programs and staff, families, and children who participated, and the research teams who coordinated and gathered the data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/10/1
Y1 - 2023/10/1
N2 - This study of a large sample of classroom teaching staff at 23 early childhood schools across the U.S. serving children birth to age 5 used survival analysis to investigate both the timing of staff turnover and the characteristics associated with turnover. The data were collected from over 2,000 teachers, assistant teachers and aides between 2007 and 2019. Survival analysis allowed for investigation of both the timing of staff turnover and the time-varying and time-invariant characteristics associated with turnover. Over time, staff who were more positive about their work environment, had more years of teaching experience, taught in infant-toddler classrooms, or identified as Black were more likely to stay, whereas staff who had more years of education were more likely to leave. The probability of leaving was greatest in the first 2 to 3 years of employment. Some predictors of retention differed between lead teachers and assistants/aides, for example, the risk of leaving was greater for teachers with depressive symptoms but not for assistants/aides. While the results point to some areas where school leaders can effect practice changes to improve retention, the findings point to multiple areas where systemic and policy changes may be needed to reduce turnover.
AB - This study of a large sample of classroom teaching staff at 23 early childhood schools across the U.S. serving children birth to age 5 used survival analysis to investigate both the timing of staff turnover and the characteristics associated with turnover. The data were collected from over 2,000 teachers, assistant teachers and aides between 2007 and 2019. Survival analysis allowed for investigation of both the timing of staff turnover and the time-varying and time-invariant characteristics associated with turnover. Over time, staff who were more positive about their work environment, had more years of teaching experience, taught in infant-toddler classrooms, or identified as Black were more likely to stay, whereas staff who had more years of education were more likely to leave. The probability of leaving was greatest in the first 2 to 3 years of employment. Some predictors of retention differed between lead teachers and assistants/aides, for example, the risk of leaving was greater for teachers with depressive symptoms but not for assistants/aides. While the results point to some areas where school leaders can effect practice changes to improve retention, the findings point to multiple areas where systemic and policy changes may be needed to reduce turnover.
KW - Early childhood educators
KW - Education
KW - Predictors
KW - Survival analysis
KW - Turnover
KW - Work environment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.06.002
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85163514552
SN - 0885-2006
VL - 65
SP - 159
EP - 169
JO - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
JF - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
ER -