Attrition of Public School Mathematics and Science Teachers

Staffing the nation’s schools with well-qualified teachers has long been a prominent issue in elementary and secondary education (Wayne and Youngs 2003). Mathematics and science teachers are of particular interest because mathematics and science are core subjects in both elementary and secondary public schools. These subjects continue to attract attention as the need for individuals entering the workforce with advanced knowledge in these areas remains high (National Science Board 2006). Maintaining a sufficient supply of mathematics and science teachers depends on both entry rates into these teaching fields and attrition from these fields. This Issue Brief reports on trends in the attrition of public school mathematics and science teachers over a 16year period and examines the reasons given by mathematics and science teachers for leaving teaching employment. Previous research has shown that the distribution of teachers who left teaching employment varies by teacher characteristics (e.g., age) (Marvel et al. 2007). Therefore, findings are shown by this and other teacher characteristics.