The number of Providence teachers who retired or left the school district jumped from an average of 94 per year before the COVID-19 pandemic and the state takeover to 157 in the current school year, but overall teacher retention has been better than the national average, according to a new study.
Researchers from Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform found that an average of 93 percent of city teachers returned to the district for another school year over the last five years, compared to the national average of 92 percent.
The study found that the overall number of Providence teachers who have left the classroom since last year is higher (288), in part because the district has seen a large spike in educators moving to non-classroom jobs (like instructional coaches) and more teachers are taking leaves of absence.