Search results for: Johnson Susan Moore

This paper presents an alternative explanation for turnover—one grounded in organizational theory and substantiated by an emerging line of research. In doing so, it reframes the debate over what fuels high rates of teacher turnover in high-poverty schools and provides advice for policy makers and practitioners. This paper reviews six studies analyzing turnover as a function of school context rather than as a function of student demographics. The review suggests that teachers who leave high-poverty schools are not fleeing their students. Rather, they are fleeing the poor working conditions that make it difficult for them to teach and for their students to learn. The working conditions that teachers prize most include school leadership, collegial relationships, and elements of school culture.