It’s widely accepted that many teachers grow quickly during their first few years in the classroom, but does that development carry on over time? Knowing the answer to this question may allow local educational agency leaders to make better-informed policy decisions.
Recent research concluded that teachers do continue to improve professionally the more experienced they become. Think Again: Do the Returns to Teacher Experience Fizzle Out? explores the conditions needed to foster ongoing growth and how the field can retain more seasoned educators.
“The common refrain that teaching experience doesn’t matter after the first few years in the classroom is not supported by the evidence. Rather, it has become increasingly clear that teachers continue to improve well into the second decade of teaching, albeit more gradually than they do initially,” the report, published by the Learning Policy Institute and Thomas B. Fordham Institute in August, states.
What the research says
Students who have more experienced teachers can benefit from improved academic outcomes including better test scores and attendance and fewer disciplinary offenses, some studies suggest.
Similarly, for educators themselves, research has found that “teachers whose colleagues are more experienced are more effective than those whose colleagues are less experienced, suggesting that more experienced teachers provide important benefits to their school community beyond increased learning for the students they teach.”
Having stable teaching assignments for multiple years is also conducive to accelerated development. “For example, a study of a large urban school district in California found that elementary teachers were frequently required to switch grades, particularly in low-achieving schools with high proportions of students of color, and that this grade switching was associated with smaller returns to experience and higher rates of turnover among teachers” according to the report.
Long term, being part of a supportive professional environment is key to building a teacher’s effectiveness.
The report suggests that it is possible to retain experienced, effective teachers “by creating high-retention pathways into the teaching profession, cultivating supportive and collegial work environments, and paying teachers in these schools well.”
Recommendations
The report outlines four recommendations for K-12 systems and policymakers, including:
- Having affordable and accessible high-quality preparation and mentoring available, particularly for teachers from high-need schools
- Offering quality professional development to aid teachers’ growth over time
- Preparing school administrators to facilitate positive, professional and collaborative working environments
- Strengthening policies that boost equitable distribution of experienced teachers
