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A Return to the Classroom: Investigating the Retention of Returning Teachers in Texas. Working Paper No. 02-002

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Bibliographic Details
Title: A Return to the Classroom: Investigating the Retention of Returning Teachers in Texas. Working Paper No. 02-002
Language: English
Authors: J. Jacob Kirksey, Nicholas Varney, Jenna Hogan, Texas Tech University (TTU), Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE)
Source: Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. 2025.
Availability: Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. Texas Tech University, College of Education, 3002 18th Street, Room 168, Lubbock, TX 79409. Tel: 806-834-2923; e-mail: circle.educ@ttu.edu; Web site: https://hdl.handle.net/2346/88837
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 41
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Teacher Persistence, Teacher Employment, Beginning Teachers, Career Change, Longitudinal Studies, Teacher Characteristics, Faculty Mobility, School Demography, Teaching Experience
Geographic Terms: Texas
Abstract: This study focuses on the retention rates of new teacher hires and focuses on an underexplored group--educators who exit the teaching profession and subsequently re-enter. Using longitudinal administrative data from Texas (2000-2023), this research compares characteristics of returning teachers and their likelihood of retention compared to new, first-time teachers. Results suggest returning teachers are similar but have a few distinct characteristics compared to new teachers, including higher educational attainment and varied certification pathways. Returning teachers show lower retention rates compared to new teachers. Our analysis suggests that returning teachers with longer gaps between initial exit and return from teaching were more likely to remain in teaching, indicating career changers may be a viable source of teacher supply.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED675092
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study focuses on the retention rates of new teacher hires and focuses on an underexplored group--educators who exit the teaching profession and subsequently re-enter. Using longitudinal administrative data from Texas (2000-2023), this research compares characteristics of returning teachers and their likelihood of retention compared to new, first-time teachers. Results suggest returning teachers are similar but have a few distinct characteristics compared to new teachers, including higher educational attainment and varied certification pathways. Returning teachers show lower retention rates compared to new teachers. Our analysis suggests that returning teachers with longer gaps between initial exit and return from teaching were more likely to remain in teaching, indicating career changers may be a viable source of teacher supply.