Science Teacher Retention: It Takes More Than Money

A study of high school science teachers revealed surprising results on what might motivate them to stay in the classroom: the teachers valued recognition as professionals and autonomy in their classrooms over salary increases.

The finding that salary was not a primary motivator for science teachers "flies in the face" of many recommendations, said Shirley Malcom, director of Education and Human Resources at AAAS. Malcom discussed the study's results at a 16 June AAAS event along with Sheila Tobias, an influential education writer and one of the study's leaders. Tobias co-authored the new online book "Science Teaching as a Profession: Why It Isn't. How It Can Be."

Efforts to bolster science teaching in high school by producing more teachers have had too narrow a focus, Tobias told the AAAS audience. Instead, the focus should be on how to keep high school science teachers in the teaching profession. Tobias spoke at an informal salon-style event—part of the 'Inside the Practice Circle' series—organized by the AAAS Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity.

"We're walking down a single path, which is inadequate to solve the problem," Tobias said. During the discussion at AAAS, Tobias described how keeping teachers in their jobs has been an ignored strategy in science education. "It's like filling a swimming pool with a hole in it," she said.

For more on strategies to retain science teachers, read the full story.