

THE CHALLENGE
Locally, in the state of Georgia, and nationally, educators are leaving the field at unprecedented rates. A report conducted by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission suggests that 47% of public school teachers in the state (GA) leave within the first five years of employment.
However, it is not enough to keep teachers, we must retain EXCELLENT EDUCATORS — those that have the highest academic and personal influence on students in Metro Atlanta. A study conducted by The New Teacher Project entitled, The Irreplaceables, suggests that half of the educators leaving the classroom are among the most effective (by standards of academic achievement, engaging learning experiences, and influence on students’ personal lives).
National statistics suggest that roughly half a million teachers in the United States move or leave the profession each year.
Something must be done to keep educators in the classroom.
In any given five-year period, nearly half of the state's (GA) professional public educators dropout of the classroom.
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Georgia Department of Education. Georgia's Teacher Dropout Crisis: A Look at Why Nearly Half of Georgia Public School Teachers are Leaving the Profession. Stephen J. Owens. 2015
WHY DO TEACHERS LEAVE?
Research states that teachers leave the field of education because of three main factors:
Lack of teacher participation in decisions
Lack of benefits / compensation
Lack of quality support, resources, and professional learning

Related Research
Georgia's Teacher Dropout Crisis:
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