| No one can argue that teachers aren't | | | | turnover that's costing them $7 billion |
| important and, next to students, are the | | | | annually. |
| lifeblood of any school. So why are so many | | | | |
| teachers leaving the profession? New York | | | | Retirement is one reason schools are seeing a |
| Schools, while they haven't lost their entire | | | | large departure of their teaching staff. In |
| teaching staffs, are experiencing a high | | | | addition, the hiring of new teachers slowed |
| turnover of teachers, just like the rest of | | | | down in the '80s and '90s, which raised the |
| the country. | | | | average age of teachers. New York Schools |
| | | | says that their wave of such retirements was |
| New York Schools, which is the nation's | | | | at a peak early in this decade, but that it |
| largest school system, recruited | | | | did not truly cause a teacher shortage. |
| approximately 5,000 new teachers this summer | | | | |
| (2007) by the middle of August. They were | | | | However, there are many new teachers hired by |
| looking for teachers certified in Math, | | | | New York Schools that become disillusioned |
| Science, or Special Education. New York | | | | with the classroom, and find it hard to stay |
| Schools offered a housing incentive that, in | | | | where they are most needed. The National |
| some cases, totals $5,000 to be used towards | | | | Commission on Teaching and America's Future |
| a down payment on a house. The incentive | | | | has calculated that nearly a third of all new |
| apparently worked, based on the number of | | | | teachers leave the profession after just |
| teachers hired. | | | | three years, and that after five years almost |
| | | | half are gone - a higher turnover, indeed. |
| New York Public Schools are also looking | | | | |
| outside the world of education for their | | | | Higher salaries in the business sector, as |
| teachers. Offering subsidies to offset the | | | | well as more professional opportunities are |
| cost of obtaining a master's degree, New York | | | | also factors in the departure of teachers, |
| Schools hope to attract "mid-career" | | | | even the ones working for New York Schools. |
| professionals. They are looking for folks | | | | Traditionally, more women than men have |
| employed in such fields as health care, law, | | | | become teachers, and the possibility of a |
| and finance. New York Schools director of | | | | better salary and the chance to expand one's |
| teacher recruitment, Vicki Bernstein is | | | | career horizons is tempting to many. |
| looking to hire still more teachers before | | | | |
| school begins on September 4th - at least | | | | Recent Department of Education statistics |
| 1,300 to be exact. | | | | state that about 8.4% of the nation's 3.2 |
| | | | million public school teachers quit the field |
| In June, one nonprofit group conducted a | | | | in the 2003-4 school year. Thirty percent of |
| survey of several school districts across the | | | | them retired, and 56 percent said they left |
| country to find out how much they were | | | | to pursue another career or because they were |
| spending annually for recruitment, hiring, | | | | dissatisfied. |
| and training new teachers. New York Schools | | | | |
| were included in that survey. The survey | | | | This explains, for the most part, where the |
| found that New York Schools, among several | | | | New York Schools teachers have gone. The |
| other districts, are experiencing teacher | | | | district is working hard to get them back. |