Fewer teachers are leaving the profession than in recent years, but the overall attrition rate remains very high, causing significant disruptions in many schools. A recent RAND report shows the share of teachers who intend to leave their jobs fell from 22 percent in 2024 to 16 percent in 2025.
The trend in Pennsylvania is similar as 9,500 teachers left the profession in 2023, dropping to 8,326 who left in 2024. Despite the decline, a 6.7 percent attrition rate wreaks havoc for some schools across the Commonwealth as the demand for teachers far outpaces the supply.
Attracting teachers to the profession and retaining them has been a challenge for many years and was exacerbated by the extended school closures. While teacher compensation continues to be a concern for many educators, managing student behavior is the most cited issue when considering leaving the field.
According to the RAND survey, 39 percent of teachers said low pay was a cause of stress, but 52 percent cite managing student behavior as a primary stressor.
Student behavioral issues can range from typical classroom disruptions to significant safety concerns. Most teachers expect some level of inappropriate behavior throughout the course of the day and are required to devote instructional time to redirect students to get them back on track. However, in recent years, more significant concerns have emerged about violent behavior in schools and teachers’ personal safety.
A national survey of teachers and administrators published last year shows the serious impact school safety has on teacher retention and recruitment, in addition to student outcomes:
In Pennsylvania, a report of the 2022-2023 school year by the Commonwealth Foundation found that over 40 percent of schools in the state face dangerous incidents. Based on its analysis of incident reports, 42.7 percent of schools met the criteria for persistently dangerous schools.
It’s no coincidence that the higher teacher turnover rates are often located in districts with higher incident rates. For example, 71.4 percent of Philadelphia public schools qualify as persistently dangerous based on their incident rates, and the city’s teacher attrition rate is the highest in the state at over 8 percent.
Annual Teacher Attrition by County from 2014-2015 to 2023-2024
Image provided by the Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
The statewide teacher attrition rate of 6.7 percent is likely related, at least partially, to poor student outcomes across the Commonwealth. Last year’s assessment data shows only 53 percent of students proficient in reading/writing and only 40 percent in math.
If most teachers are losing at least two hours or more of instructional time each week to behavioral incidents, it is no wonder that so many students are not reaching proficient levels.
The issues of teacher retention and student outcomes are inextricably linked, but the question about how best to address them remains unanswered. While some teachers may be willing to remain in the profession with higher compensation; for many, money does not fix the inherent challenges related to student behavior and safety concerns.
Therefore, what can be done to minimize behavioral incidents, increase instructional time, and create a school environment where teachers feel supported and committed to stay for their students?
One former teacher is focused on addressing these specific issues. Dr. Jessica Werner is deeply concerned about the teacher shortage crisis and facilitates a program to support educators to remain in their positions, arming them with classroom management strategies based on the most current neuroscience research.
In an interview with Broad + Liberty, Werner said her professional experiences as a teacher, education consultant, and a teacher-preparation professor served as the foundation for the services she now provides to public and private schools across the country. Her company, Northshore Learning helps educators adapt teaching strategies based on modern brain science, citing that students’ attention spans have shrunk to six seconds as a result of increased technology and social media usage.
“Time to Teach,” the classroom program Werner facilitates, is rooted in the work of John Wooden and Madeline Hunter from the University of California, Los Angeles. After being implemented in Southfield, Michigan in 2016, over a two year time period, the schools — that serve low-income students with 90 percent eligible for free or reduced lunch — reported a 62 percent decrease in student suspensions, a 90 decrease in major disruptions, and a 96 percent decrease in bullying incidents.
This poster depicts the success of the program.
The success of the “Time to Teach” classroom program led to Werner working with other schools. Her business expanded after the extended school closures when students returned to the classroom with a variety of behavioral issues and teachers struggling to manage them effectively. She started focusing more closely on brain science and added a neuroscientist to her team to fully understand the changes occurring as a result of increased screen time, video games, and social media.
Werner said, “the amygdala can trigger a fight-or-flight response not only to danger but also to boredom, affecting student behavior.” She explained with the shorter student attention spans, teachers need more creative instructional strategies to keep students engaged.
According to Werner, “using brain science to explain student behavior to teachers makes it easier to get their buy-in and understand the underlying issues.” Her approach is not about blaming teachers or students, but instead reframing the context for why certain behaviors are occurring.
Werner’s team individualizes their strategies based on the specific needs of each school, whether urban, rural, or international. “Every school is unique and requires a differentiated approach — some schools have very few behavior problems, while others struggle with high student to teacher ratios.”
The program trains teachers on strategies that support learners, including student autonomy, choice, and connecting learning to real-world scenarios — creating a culture of psychological safety and community in the classroom. The overall goal is to set up classrooms for success and ensure teachers have the support they need to manage behavior and improve learning outcomes.
While Werner and her team collect baseline data to develop an individualized plan for each school and measure its effectiveness, she acknowledges the program needs a rigorous research evaluation to specifically quantify the results. Current data shows fewer office referrals, less time spent by teachers on behavior management, and increased teacher satisfaction.
Across Pennsylvania schools, where teacher retention and student behavior are major issues, Werner’s program may offer solutions. A pilot to assess the effectiveness of the program in targeted schools could be a good starting point to determine if the evidence is anecdotal or actually statistically significant.
Schools spend a lot of time and money on a variety of professional development programs — often with a low return on investment. It is incumbent upon administrators to fund teacher training programs that deliver quantifiable results, resulting in higher teacher retention and improved student academic outcomes.
Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at [email protected].
