Chad Aldeman

1 month ago | chadaldeman.com | Chad Aldeman

I have a new piece out at The 74 this week taking a look at the latest teacher turnover numbers. Despite what you may have heard, teacher turnover rates appear to be trending downward. Here’s the key chart: The data come from a range of state dashboards and research reports, and they all paint a pretty similar picture: Turnover rates fell in the fall of 2020, when the economy was in rough shape and schools were mostly still closed. Then they started to tick up in 2021 and especially in 2022.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Chad Aldeman

According to the latest data, teacher turnover rates have been coming down for the last two years. That finding comes from a hodgepodge of state documents and research reports. With the caveat that those sources may count things in slightly different ways and at different time periods, the pattern that emerges is consistent. In fall 2020, the country was still in the thick of the COVID pandemic. The economy was on uncertain footing, many schools stayed remote and teacher turnover rates fell.

1 month ago | chadaldeman.com | Chad Aldeman

Early in my career, I made a big financial mistake. At my first professional job I was offered a retirement plan with a 3-year vesting period. If I stayed at least three years, I would “vest” and qualify for my employer’s 4% contributions into my retirement account. If I left before the 3-year mark, I would forfeit all or most of those contributions. I don’t remember the exact specifics anymore, but I was offered a new job somewhere around month 32 or 33.

1 month ago | alternet.org | Chad Aldeman

There’s no more fundamental task for a school than teaching kids to read. This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. But what about kids living in poverty? Don’t schools need more money, and more staff, to be able to get good results? Well, yes and no. Poverty is certainly correlated to reading scores, and the best evidence suggests money helps boost a range of student outcomes.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Chad Aldeman

School spending is up. So why aren’t teacher salaries? For example, from 2002 to 2022, per-pupil spending in the Los Angeles Unified School District rose 108%. That’s in real terms, after accounting for inflation. But that money didn’t lead to higher pay. In fact, the average salary earned by district employees rose just 5%. These trends are not unique to Los Angeles and are, in fact, playing out in most schools and districts across the country.