The Reasons Teachers Stay

A research-based guide uncovering what teachers say keeps them in their schools—and how leaders can sustain them

The Reasons Teachers Stay offers a powerful new perspective on the urgent issue of teacher retention. While national headlines focus on why so many teachers leave, Douglas B. Larkin and Suzanne Poole Patzelt flip the question to ask: What makes teachers stay? Larkin and Patzelt’s findings can inform the practice of administrators, school leaders, and teachers in creating supportive work environments within K–12 school districts.

Drawing on a six-year longitudinal study of US schools, districts, and communities with high rates of teacher retention, the work reveals that sustaining effective teachers in their jobs requires more than just a satisfactory working environment and incentives. Larkin and Patzelt find that teachers are retained when an interrelated set of conditions, including a manageable teaching load, a degree of autonomy, adequate compensation, and supportive relationships with colleagues, are in place to meet their needs. They present their findings using the teacher embeddedness framework to show how fit, interpersonal connections, and school-based/community assets matter more than previously understood.

Engaging case studies and interviews with teachers and administrators throughout the book illustrate these concepts in action. The work ends with practical recommendations to enact key tenets of the framework in schools, such as establishing mentorship and induction programs; fostering teacher agency, autonomy, and protection; and providing strong support for teachers of color.