How retention and mobility rates differ for teachers of colour

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines factors associated with the retention and mobility of teachers of colour in one state in the USA, with a special focus on beginning and novice teachers. We examine year-by-year retention and mobility rates for four time periods, beginning in 2015–16. We use logistic regression models to investigate the relationship between retention and mobility status and a number of variables thought to influence teacher retention and mobility. We find that full-time status and years of teaching experience consistently predict retention and mobility, with large differences in predicted probabilities. We also find statistically significant differences in the retention and mobility rates of Latinx teachers compared to Black teachers. The paper concludes with policy implications for teacher education and induction, and a call for more complex analyses of the retention and mobility of teachers of colour, including the expanded use of disaggregated data by individual racial and ethnic groups.