Why Half of Teachers Leave the Classroom

Carol R. Rinke, a former urban teacher, is currently an Assistant Professor of science and math education at Marist College in New York.

• List of Tables and FiguresForeword by Jerry BrunettiAcknowledgementsPrefaceChapter 1: Teaching as an Exploratory CareerChapter 2: Teachers’ Plans MatterChapter 3: Those Who StayedChapter 4: Those Who ShiftedChapter 5: Those Who LeftChapter 6: Listening To TeachersAppendix: Semi-Structured Interview GuideReferencesAbout the Author

The quality retention of teachers, especially those who work in schools which serve high need communities, is a key challenge for policy makers worldwide who are serious about raising educational standards. Carol Rinke's readerly book provides nuanced and insightful accounts of the motivations of science teachers who stay, shift, and leave teaching in the first seven years of their careers. She highlights the importance of supportive working conditions, values-led leadership, healthy school cultures, and the complex connections and interactions between lives and work – the personal and the professional. In doing so, she re-affirms the key role of commitment in teaching which has become, for some, a temporary profession. This is a “must read” for all teacher educators, school leaders, and aspiring teachers.