| No one can argue that teachers aren't important and, | | | | departure of their teaching staff. In addition, the hiring of |
| next to students, are the lifeblood of any school. So | | | | new teachers slowed down in the '80s and '90s, which |
| why are so many teachers leaving the profession? | | | | raised the average age of teachers. New York |
| New York Schools, while they haven't lost their entire | | | | Schools says that their wave of such retirements was |
| teaching staffs, are experiencing a high turnover of | | | | at a peak early in this decade, but that it did not truly |
| teachers, just like the rest of the country. New York | | | | cause a teacher shortage. However, there are many |
| Schools, which is the nation's largest school system, | | | | new teachers hired by New York Schools that |
| recruited approximately 5,000 new teachers this | | | | become disillusioned with the classroom, and find it |
| summer (2007) by the middle of August. They were | | | | hard to stay where they are most needed. The |
| looking for teachers certified in Math, Science, or | | | | National Commission on Teaching and America's |
| Special Education. New York Schools offered a | | | | Future has calculated that nearly a third of all new |
| housing incentive that, in some cases, totals $5,000 to | | | | teachers leave the profession after just three years, |
| be used towards a down payment on a house. The | | | | and that after five years almost half are gone - a |
| incentive apparently worked, based on the number of | | | | higher turnover, indeed. Higher salaries in the business |
| teachers hired. New York Public Schools are also | | | | sector, as well as more professional opportunities are |
| looking outside the world of education for their | | | | also factors in the departure of teachers, even the |
| teachers. Offering subsidies to offset the cost of | | | | ones working for New York Schools. Traditionally, |
| obtaining a master's degree, New York Schools hope | | | | more women than men have become teachers, and |
| to attract "mid-career" professionals. They are looking | | | | the possibility of a better salary and the chance to |
| for folks employed in such fields as health care, law, | | | | expand one's career horizons is tempting to many. |
| and finance. New York Schools director of teacher | | | | Recent Department of Education statistics state that |
| recruitment, Vicki Bernstein is looking to hire still more | | | | about 8.4% of the nation's 3.2 million public school |
| teachers before school begins on September 4th - at | | | | teachers quit the field in the 2003-4 school year. Thirty |
| least 1,300 to be exact. In June, one nonprofit group | | | | percent of them retired, and 56 percent said they left |
| conducted a survey of several school districts across | | | | to pursue another career or because they were |
| the country to find out how much they were spending | | | | dissatisfied. This explains, for the most part, where the |
| annually for recruitment, hiring, and training new | | | | New York Schools teachers have gone. The district is |
| teachers. New York Schools were included in that | | | | working hard to get them back. |
| survey. The survey found that New York Schools, | | | | Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, |
| among several other districts, are experiencing teacher | | | | providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and |
| turnover that's costing them $7 billion annually. | | | | private K-12 schools. |
| Retirement is one reason schools are seeing a large | | | | |