- Research Brief
From Intentions to Outcomes: Understanding Teacher Retention in Tennessee
- By Kaitlin Binsted, Laura Booker
Key Findings
- Teachers’ retention plans are a strong predictor of whether they remain in the classroom. More than 90% of teachers who reported plans to continue teaching in their schools the following year remained there, while two-thirds of those who intended to leave followed through on those plans.
- Teachers who plan to exit teaching cite salary and workload as top reasons, while teachers who are moving within or across the district cite leadership and staff culture among top reasons.
- Teachers in rural districts who plan to move to another district most often select salary as a top reason.
Suggested Citation
Binsted, K., Booker, L., (2026). From Intentions to Outcomes: Understanding Teacher Retention in Tennessee. Tennessee Education Research Alliance.