Reframing Teacher Recruitment and Retention

From a thought-provoking Ed Week article today debunking teacher recruitment and retention assumptions for the millenial generation:

"For too long the concept of retention has been framed around the fallacy that retention means forever...The goal of retention efforts should not be creating a 'lifetime' teacher. That does not fit this generation, nor will it yield the type of teacher students need, if they are to compete in a knowledge economy."

"Reframing retention first requires envisioning the teaching career in smaller increments. Districts must set goals for getting more teachers to year five, and then a subset of those to year 10. Strategies may vary by level of experience. For example, several teachers in our program noted that a more rigorous tenure process, coupled with a pay increase, could renew commitment in years three through five. The years immediately following induction are critical, yet typically ignored."

The author, Celine Coggins, directs the Teach Plus program at the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, in Cambridge, Mass.