Managing Turnover of STEM Teacher Workforce

We are facing a lack of skilled and certified STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teachers confined to schools with specific characteristics, such as working conditions and neighborhoods. It is essential to understand teachers’ decision-making processes that affect teacher turnover rates to enable schools to retain and motivate STEM. This study hypothesizes that lower job satisfaction concerning location and opportunities for advancement and independence is positively associated with voluntary leave from a school to another school or job switched from the K-12 teaching profession to other industries. We utilized a logit analysis for internal mobility if teachers remained in K-12 teaching but switch schools and external mobility if employed in non-education sectors using the National Survey of College Graduates data. The results varied by teacher experiences and mobility type. For novice STEM teachers, more opportunities for career advancements are needed to prevent external attrition. Internal mobility can be addressed via the overall improvement of the urban education environment and teacher compensation. Administrative support for experienced teachers’ career advancement should be considered. Government policies on STEM education need differentiated support considering teachers’ work experiences and working conditions.