Does Teacher Retention Vary by Preparation Pathway? Insights from Tennessee and Kentucky

Abstract

We examine teacher preparation pathways and early career retention trends in Tennessee and Kentucky from 2017 to 2023. Using administrative and survey data, we show significant differences in teacher demographics, sorting across schools, and retention outcomes by pathway in both states. Although traditional preparation pathways remain the most likely entryway for incoming teachers, teachers increasingly enter through non-traditional pathways, especially teachers of color and career switchers. We document substantial sorting of teachers across pathways into schools with different characteristics (e.g., level of economic disadvantage), though patterns differ between the two states. Teacher retention also varies by pathway type, though again, patterns differ between the two states with lower retention rates for non-traditional program completers in Tennessee and out-of-state candidates in Kentucky. These results provide insights into possible interventions to strengthen teacher workforce development and inform policies aimed at improving teacher retention, particularly in schools serving historically marginalized communities.

Key Findings

1. In both Kentucky and Tennessee, newly hired teachers entering through non-traditional routes are more likely to be male, non-White, and older than those entering through traditional routes. Non-traditional route teachers are also more likely to have middle/secondary endorsements.
2. Newly hired teachers entering through non-traditional preparation pathways are more likely to teach in upper grades and in schools serving more economically disadvantaged students and students of color.
3. Non-traditionally prepared teachers in Tennessee and out-of-state teachers in Kentucky have lower retention rates, but these differences are likely driven by differences in teacher and school characteristics.

Suggested Citation

Ellison, A., Grissom, J.A., & Booker, L. (2025). Does teacher retention vary by preparation pathway? Insights from Tennessee and Kentucky. (Tennessee Education Research Alliance Working Paper).