Teacher Retention in High-Poverty, Urban Schools

Abstract Teaching has always been about the success of the students. Students who have effective, qualified teachers show the most success. Throughout the years, schools in urban areas have struggled to keep quality teachers within their buildings. Due to teacher turnover in the neediest schools, the students are greatly affected. The students in high-poverty urban schools are some of the lowest performing students across the country. When you pair low performance with significant teacher turnover, the outcome is grim. Research shows that districts and schools need to do more than just recruit qualified teachers, they must also retain them for the sake of their students. This paper explores the reasons behind teacher turnover and what strategies schools and districts can implement to halt the revolving door on teaching in high-poverty, urban schools. A variety of literature was reviewed along with research studies to determine if there is an effective way for schools and districts to retain teachers in urban schools