Arkansas' kindergarten-through-12th grade public school system has experienced an overall uptick in teacher turnover during the school years marked by the covid-19 pandemic.
That is one of the conclusions reached by a research team at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville that looked at job movement among teachers in the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years as compared with previous years.
Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro and Josh McGee of the university's Office for Education Policy are the authors of the study.
The research team found that the state's typical teacher retention rate of nearly 80% in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years dropped to 76.9% in 2021 and to 74.4% in the current 2022-23 school year.
"Given that about 32,000 teachers are employed by Arkansas school districts each year, this indicates that about 1,250 more teachers left the classroom during the summer of 2022 than what we would have expected on average during pre-pandemic years," the research team found.
Previously, there was a one-year dip to a 74.7% retention rate in the 2015-16 school year that jumped up to 77.1% the next year.
At a time when student achievement has declined in the pandemic years, teachers -- who are generally recognized as the most important school-based factor for student achievement -- have indicated on surveys that they are stressed and considering job changes.
"Given the serious challenges that Arkansas students face and apparent dissatisfaction among teachers, it's natural to be concerned about increased teacher turnover and potential teacher shortages," the authors wrote.
The research team broke down the types of teacher turnover to include those who:
Left or exited the profession -- 10.4% this year compared with 8.7% the year before.
Moved from one campus to another -- 10.9% this school year compared with 11.2% the year before.
Switched to a noninstructional role in public schools -- 4.3% in 2022-23, up from 3.3% in 2021-22.
Teachers who moved from one campus to another or moved into noninstructional school jobs should prompt education leaders to identify why one school or one job is preferred over others, the researchers said.
An even deeper dive is necessary to determine the reasons why greater numbers of teachers left the profession entirely, the team said.
The research team also found that the teacher turnover rate varies across the state, with south and east Arkansas seeing higher turnover than north and west parts of the state. But all parts of the state have seen changes. Thirty-nine Arkansas districts saw turnover rates in excess of 35% this year, up from 15 districts in 2021-22.
Entering this school year, 24 districts saw turnover rates of no more than 15%. But last year, a better-than-double 57 districts had a turnover rate of 15% or less.
The research team looked into the status of teachers who exited the teaching profession, with the idea that the information could lead to the design of better teacher retention practices in the future.
Eighty percent of those who left at the end of the 2020-21 school year "do not appear as an employee at any unemployment insurance-covered employer in the state," the team said.
"Of those 'exiters' aged 60 or more, only 25, or 4%, appear in the Arkansas workforce, while 25% of exiters under the age of 60 do so. Among exiters who were employed, the most common job was working in the education services industry, such as a tutor or a consultant.
The researchers opined that the fact that the former teachers did not immediately find new jobs might indicate that they left due to job dissatisfaction and not for better paying jobs.
"Improving these other job conditions may encourage some exiters to return and reduce future turnover," the study authors wrote.
The authors also noted that the news about teacher turnover "is not universally grim," that the higher turnover is not a mass exodus of educators.
The study did not attempt to address how the newly enacted Arkansas LEARNS Act to revamp public education might impact teacher retention and turnover.
The act, championed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, raises the starting teacher salary in the state by $14,000 to $50,000, making it one of the highest in the nation. The act also offers $2,000 pay raises to those teachers already making $50,000 or more and financial incentives to those who teach in parts of the state with teacher shortages. The act includes provisions for paid maternity leave and college loan forgiveness for those who become teachers.
Arkansas LEARNS also eliminated the Arkansas Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, which provided job protections to teachers.