Fewer teachers are getting certified in Pennsylvania, and more are leaving the profession entirely.
Ed Fuller is a Penn State professor in education policy and leadership. He authored the study called “Pennsylvania Teacher Attrition and Turnover from 2014 to 2024.”
Teacher attrition is when a teacher leaves the profession for a job in a different field. Fuller said the attrition rate reached 7.7% of Pennsylvania teachers last year.
“It was really concerning last year because it was the highest ever. Plus we had the lowest number of newly certified teachers at the same time, precisely at a time where we already had the biggest shortage we've ever had," Fuller said.
Fuller said the rest of the country is seeing a similar trend.
“We actually have lower attrition and turnover than on average. Whether you're looking at all teachers in the country or by state, we're at the low end. The reason it's important to look at right now is [because] we still have a shortage of teachers," Fuller said.
Fuller says the data isn’t clear on why so many teachers left at the same time, but he does have some ideas.
“Part of it, we think, is just that the prior year, it was a lot of pent up frustration and stress from teaching during the pandemic and post-pandemic, and people didn't want to quit and leave the kids in a lurch and everything," Fuller said.
Fuller said low pay in underfunded districts can also lead to turnover or teachers finding a higher-paying career.
State lawmakers approved a $1.1 billion increase for public education in this year’s budget. Fuller said he hopes schools will use some of that money to increase salaries.
Warren County saw the second highest attrition rate at 7.4% annually over the last decade, according to this study. Philadelphia County overwhelmingly saw the biggest decline at 12.9% a year over the past decade.
