Is high turnover of HISD teachers a bad thing?
Houston ISD is losing teachers. Lots of teachers. That much is clear. But whom are we losing? That matters, too.
Are we losing the effective educators whose charisma, creativity or quiet connection with young people is the highlight of every student’s school year? Or are we losing the low-ambition desk sitters who just can’t keep up with the rigor implemented by state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles? We don’t know. We don’t even know if the district is tracking the kinds of teachers they’re losing.
The district was only able to tell us Tuesday that its human resources department has a teacher database of everyone who comes in and out that includes the length of time they’ve taught. But we weren’t able to get more details about what else it tracks, whether anyone there is regularly reviewing the data and what types of educators are leaving.
And that’s a problem. Teacher turnover has, predictably, risen in the first school year following state takeover. It increased during Miles’ tenure in Dallas and it seems to be part of a pattern here as well. In the first five weeks alone, a Chronicle analysis found, roughly double the number of teachers left the district as had the previous year during that time. Now, thanks to a Houston Public Media public information request, it appears that turnover is still a concern since then, with almost twice as many teachers quitting in the first half of the school year as the same time frame last year: 633 versus 331, out of around 11,000 teachers. That might not seem terribly high but the penalties for leaving mid-year can be steep for teachers, including possibly losing their teaching certificate for one year.
“The takeover was really the main reason,” English teacher Melissa Yarborough told Houston Public Media, explaining her decision to leave by referencing the new evaluation system that will eventually tie teacher pay to a number of metrics, including student test scores. She also cited the pressure to use the district curriculum, rather than her own lesson plans crafted around a novel. Indeed, it seems a student at one of the handful of reconstituted schools could go the rest of her school career without reading a whole book, which isn’t included in the centralized curriculum.
Pressures of the new system seem to be trickling well beyond the core 28 schools reconstituted under Miles’ New Education System, known as NES. Timers, pre-made slideshows, fast-paced exercises, and other signs of change have crept into some nonNES classrooms across the district and we’ve heard from parents and teachers concerned about the loss of creative control.
We’ve also heard from principals who say even their veteran teachers appreciate the level of coaching and involvement coming from up high these days. A notable number of campuses opted into the NES system of classroom management and curriculum, even before school started.
“The communication and the support has been consistent and effective,” said Rhonda Honore, a principal at the non-NES Waltrip High School, when we spoke in the fall.
Another principal at a non-NES school, Dana Darden at Benbrook Elementary, told us she worked with her teachers before the school year to adopt pieces of the NES model. Some even thanked her for the changes, including the use of “demonstrations of learning,” a daily quiz that shows which students understood the lesson, and which need more help. But other educators have described a “culture of fear” and a detrimental loss of control similar to what Yarborough described.
Does it worry Miles? Should it worry you?
Working in HISD, Miles has said, is a “choice.” And he argues that his NES model of pairing teachers with apprentices allows for an easier transition if a teacher should leave.
That’s important because research shows teacher turnover can be detrimental for student outcomes, and not just those in the immediate classroom but the entire school. Turnover tends to be highest in schools with lots of low-income students and students of color, the demographics that match the first round of NES campuses where turnover seems to be high.
Still, the exodus we’re seeing could be a good thing for the district, weeding out underachievers. Or it could be disastrous, sacrificing that one gamechanging teacher who students would tell you had the greatest impact, not just on their academic achievement but in their lives.
All of this can and should be measured — especially by a district that diligently measures the outcomes and progress of its students. We weren’t able to get a complete answer from the district about the turnover, but Miles told Houston Public Media Tuesday that he wasn’t surprised or concerned.
“You’re talking about two teachers per school so let’s keep that in perspective,” said Miles. But Miles should be more precise than that.
Back in May, Miles told us that fear of change festers in the absence of good information. We agree. The district owes the public good information about this churn.
It’s not clear if the district is chasing off bad teachers or the best educators