Looking at the teacher retention rates throughout the U.S. today, there’s reason to be optimistic — though cautious. According to research from the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization RAND, the educator turnover rate declined from its pandemic-era high of 10% to 7% by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

While a hopeful trend, the reality is that the pandemic’s challenges mainly served to exacerbate preexisting issues, accelerating long-standing declines in teacher satisfaction.

Today, the teacher turnover rate remains above the prepandemic level of 6%. To address teacher retention challenges and teacher dissatisfaction, districts need to make significant changes. Earning a Doctor of Education (EdD) prepares district and school leaders to understand the root causes of teacher dissatisfaction and to implement data-driven solutions.

Teacher Retention in Massachusetts and Today’s Teacher Shortage

While the teacher shortage is an ongoing issue across the country, teacher retention rates vary by state. It’s worth noting that the teacher shortage refers not only to the number of unfilled teacher positions but also to the number of current teachers who aren’t fully certified. Several states allow teachers who aren’t fully certified to fill positions when a fully certified teacher is unavailable. These undercertified teachers, lacking the skills and knowledge to manage their classrooms and ensure that their students meet grade-level standards, may contribute to lower student outcomes and higher turnover.

According to the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan education policy research organization, 411,549 teaching positions across the 50 states and the District of Columbia were either left unfilled or filled by an undercertified teacher. This number represents about one in every eight teaching positions in the U.S.

In Massachusetts, teacher retention is an even bigger issue than the national average. LPI used data from the end of the 2021-2022 school year to compare state-level data with the national average across several metrics of teacher retention.

• Percentage of teachers who left teaching:
  • Massachusetts average: 10.8%
  • National average: 7.9%
• Percentage of school vacancies that went unfilled or were difficult to fill:
  • Massachusetts average: 56.6%
  • National average: 46.9%
• Percentage of teacher positions filled by underqualified teachers:
  • Massachusetts average: 6%
  • National average: 3.7%

In Massachusetts, teacher retention is also perhaps more crucial for schools than in other states. According to LPI data, the number of enrollees in teacher preparation programs (TPPs) decreased by 34.6% in the state between the 2017-2018 and 2021-2022 school years, compared to just a 0.6% decrease nationally.

Massachusetts may be looking at a future in which it’s even more difficult to find qualified teachers; this is why it’s essential for districts to employ teacher retention strategies to reduce turnover and the demand for new teachers.

4 Teacher Retention Strategies

The following teacher retention strategies are based on programs that schools have implemented to support teacher retention and recommendations from top educational policy institutes. Implementing these steps can substantially improve teacher retention, satisfaction, and engagement.

Mentor New Teachers

According to UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, teachers often leave the profession within their first five years. These years represent a crucial time when teachers may be struggling to adapt to the expectations of their profession.

Mentoring programs to improve early-career effectiveness can help new teachers find their footing, develop confidence in classroom management, and grow into committed teachers who are less likely to leave.

Encourage Education for Educators

The areas of study the most commonly reported as having the highest teacher shortages are special education, science, and math. These subjects often require additional study. Special education, in particular, needs teachers with specialized skills beyond general education requirements.

However, undercertified teachers remain an issue in education, leaving students without teachers with the proper skills. Some schools are finding success by creating pathways for these teachers to work within the district while pursuing certification.

A strong mentor program also requires teachers with highly developed skills. Encouraging teachers who are already certified to pursue higher education, such as an EdD, helps districts develop skilled mentors and instructional leaders.

Identify Areas for Streamlining Administrative Tasks

According to RAND and the National Education Association (NEA), 29% of teachers say that the amount of administrative work they have to do outside teaching is their top source of job stress.

Administrative work is a common cause of burnout among teachers. Streamlining administrative processes can help reduce the workload. Establishing clear, manageable expectations regarding these tasks and communicating them to teachers can also help ease job stress in this area.

Prioritize Well-Being for Students and Teachers

About 30% of teachers in the RAND study say their top source of job stress is the need to support their students’ well-being. This duty can take a toll on teachers’ mental health, especially if they’re not getting the support they need. A total of 17% of teachers say the lack of support from administrators is a major source of job stress, highlighting the role leadership plays in teacher well-being.

Administrators need to develop skills to become the effective, empathetic leaders that teachers need them to be. Taking professional development courses or earning a degree in educational leadership can help prepare administrators to better lead and oversee their school’s well-being.

Become the Educator Massachusetts Needs

Teacher retention is a national issue, but some states, such as Massachusetts, are facing more difficulties than others due to a lack of new teachers coming into the profession. With fewer teachers enrolling in TPPs, Massachusetts school districts must take teacher retention seriously.

With American International College’s online EdD in Teaching and Learning, educators build leadership skills that support teacher retention and professional growth. AIC is committed to fostering academic excellence, which is why students in this degree program learn from educators with doctoral degrees and real-world experience. Learn from top educators in a flexible, fully online program that readies educators to become the mentors today’s teachers need them to be.

Join the effort to strengthen the educator pipeline in Massachusetts with AIC.

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