Almost 75 percent of new teachers in the Cleveland Municipal School District either were considering leaving or were unsure whether they would stay, according to the results of a survey administered this spring. The teachers considering leaving cited the following reasons: student misbehavior (48%), lack of materials or supplies (47%), school is poorly run (38%), student apathy (32%), and lack of support from parents (30%). Much lower on the list were "class size is too large" (17%) and "want higher salary" (12%). The survey was administered by Catalyst: For Cleveland Schools, which is published by a local nonprofit to analyze and support school improvement in Cleveland's public schools. Several articles in the August/September issue of Catalyst take a close look at what new teachers want and how teachers who planned on staying were different from those who were thinking about leaving. You can read the issue online at www.catalyst-cleveland.org or call 216-63-6320 to request a hard copy.
