November 2026 — Teacher turnover has been a persistent and worsening issue across the United States. The national annual turnover rate among U.S. public school teachers between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years was roughly 16%, with 8% of teachers moving to another school and 8% leaving teaching entirely. This is a sharp contrast to the 1990s, when the annual turnover rate hovered around 13%, and the percentage of teachers leaving entirely was around 5% (Taie & Lewis, 2023).
Turnover rates also vary by race and ethnicity, with more Black teachers moving schools or leaving the profession each year than teachers of most other races and ethnicities (Taie & Lewis, 2023). Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, 10.7% of Black teachers— roughly 24,000—left the profession (Taie & Lewis, 2023).
The current state and consequences of teacher turnover underscore the necessity and importance of understanding the conditions that support teacher retention, particularly among Black teachers.
Launched in 2019 with funding from Ballmer Group, NCTR’s Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI) was designed to strengthen teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention, and ultimately, student learning. Phase 1 (2019-2023) of BEI supported the recruitment and preparation of teachers from historically undersupported communities by providing funding and consulting and programmatic support to teacher residency and apprenticeship programs.
Initially a five-year initiative, BEI is now in Phase II (2024–2029) with continued support from Ballmer Group. To date, NCTR has supported more than 3,500 individuals toward becoming teachers, while providing direct financial support to over 2,500 of those teacher candidates.
Until more recently, there has been less attention to the process of becoming a teacher and how factors, such as one’s preparation experience, impact later persistence or retention in the profession (Ronfeldt, 2021).
