Learning Environments Action Research Network (LEARN)
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Source: Holloway, S., & Buckman, D. G. (2024). Does Investing in Teachers’ Professional Development Impact Teacher Retention? Journal of Education Human Resources, 43(4). https://doi.org/10.3138/jehr-2023-0011
LEARN Brief and Infographic Credits: Dr. Lindsay Yearta
Overview:
In laying the groundwork for their study- “Does investing in teachers’ professional development impact teacher retention?”- researchers Holloway and Buckman (2025) examine factors that influence whether educators stay or leave, contend that professional development initiatives (such as providing academic coaches to lead professional development in schools, ensuring that novice teachers have access to robust induction programs with mentors, and developing and sustaining professional learning communities) are beneficial, and describe the impact of a staff stability on students’ learning outcomes. In the literature review, the following were highlighted as factors influencing a teacher’s decision to stay or leave a particular school: administrative support, principal tenure, salary/compensation, makeup of the student body, student behavior and motivation level, accountability pressures and student achievement.
Holloway and Buckman (2025) examine data collected from the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement in FY19. In response to Georgia’s House Bill 139, districts were required to begin coding professional development/teacher training expenditures with 2213 in FY18; full implementation was found to have taken place in FY19. School closures due to covid occurred in FY20; thus, FY19 provided the most reliable and available data from 258 schools across the state of Georgia.
Major findings from this study include the following impact on teacher retention: level of teacher experience, student academic performance, school climate, and principal tenure. The researchers did not find a statistically significant relationship between compensation and teacher retention. Furthermore, they found a negative correlation between pd fund expenditure and teacher retention leaving the authors to question if it is ineffective professional development that fails to have a positive impact on teacher retention or if professional development in general does not.
Key Insights:
(1) School climate is a substantive influence on teacher retention; state departments of ed collect school climate data annually. Better utilization can help schools develop data-driven strategies to improve school climate and thus positively impact teacher retention.
(2) Key stakeholders in a school, school district, and/or state can collaborate to improve school climate. Districts should ask themselves, are we effectively utilizing the relevant stakeholders?
(3) School administrators have such a large impact on teacher retention data. The conversation often centers on teacher retention without consideration of administrator retention. Districts should consider shifting that conversation to better support our administrators.
Action Steps:
School climate and principal tenure were two variables found to have a significant impact on teacher retention in this study. Institutions of higher ed could consider offering courses or workshops for administrators on the development and implementation of a healthy school climate. State agencies could provide data-driven professional development for administrators where school climate data is examined and aligned with strategies to improve – tailored to what the individual school needs. Furthermore, since principal tenure impacts teacher retention rates, stakeholders across the state need to consider how to better support administrators.
