Do states have the data they need to answer important questions about their teacher workforce? 

We cannot answer the most important questions about the teacher workforce in a timely, accurate way, because states do not have the data. And because we do not have the data, we cannot create strategic and intentional policies to attract, recruit, and retain the most effective teachers, especially in our efforts to ensure educational equity and access.

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Pay matters.

Thinking strategically about teacher salaries is critical to attracting and retaining qualified, effective, and diverse teachers tothe positions where they are most needed.

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The biggest myth about the teaching profession is that 50% of all new teachers leave within their first five years of teaching. 

That figure is closer to 17% within the first four years (the 5th year results haven't been published yet), although this rate varies across districts.

More than a quarter of the teachers who leave each year (about 8% of the total workforce) return to the classroom at some point. Why do teachers leave? Many are retiring (38%). Many are taking non-teaching jobs in a school or district (29%). The rest leave for a variety of other reasons, including to take care of family members or to take jobs outside of education.

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