Race and turnover

With ever-declining budgets, education administrators across the nation have been struggling for years with an increasing teacher turnover rate. Now, researchers have found that race may play a role in teacher turnover. They found that turnover rates are lower among teachers who are of the same race as their school principals. Teachers are substantially more likely to stay in schools run by a principal of the same race. Teachers who share the same race as their principal also report higher job satisfaction, particularly in schools with African-American principals. This association may be driven by differences in how such schools are managed, given that teachers who share the same race as their principal report higher levels of administrative support and more recognition than other teachers report.