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The Price of Misassignment: The Role of Teaching Assignments in Teach For America Teachers' Exit From Low-Income Schools and the Teaching Profession

Teach For America (TFA) recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach for 2 years in the nation's low-income schools. This study is the first to examine these teachers' retention nationwide, asking whether, when, and why they voluntarily transfer from their low-income placement school...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational evaluation and policy analysis 2010-06, Vol.32 (2), p.299-323
Main Authors: Donaldson, Morgaen L., Johnson, Susan Moore
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Teach For America (TFA) recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach for 2 years in the nation's low-income schools. This study is the first to examine these teachers' retention nationwide, asking whether, when, and why they voluntarily transfer from their low-income placement schools or leave teaching altogether. Based on a survey of three entire TFA cohorts (n = 2,029), this longitudinal, retrospective study uses discrete-time survival analysis. We found that teachers who have more challenging assignments—split grades, multiple subjects, or out-offield classes—are at greater risk of leaving their schools or resigning from teaching than those with single-grade, singlesubject, or in-field assignments. It is notable that in-field science teachers' risk of resigning was higher than that of their out-of-field counterparts with nonscience degrees. This study informs policymakers and school officials seeking to retain TFA and other promising teachers.
ISSN:0162-3737
1935-1062
DOI:10.3102/0162373710367680