School administrators’ direct and indirect influences on middle school math teachers’ turnover

Purpose Administrator support has been identified as a key factor in deterring teacher turnover. Yet, the specific ways school principals directly or indirectly influence teacher retention remain underexamined. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study includes a survival analysis to examine when beginning mathematics teachers turned over and the extent to which teacher quality and administrative support was associated with the turnover, and an analysis of exit surveys explaining teachers’ decision to turn over. Findings New teachers with more supportive administrators are less likely to turn over. The influence of administrative support on teacher turnover does not appear to be driven by more supportive administrators improving a school’s professional community, increasing teacher autonomy, or increasing the frequency of professional development and mentoring. While both increased administrative support and teaching quality independently predict reduced turnover, the strength of the association of administrative support on turnover does not appear to be related to the level of teacher quality nor mediated through teacher quality. Practical implications Results suggest that the presence of high levels of administrative support are more influential in deterring new teacher turnover than more direct supports, such as the assignment of mentors or recommending professional development. Originality/value The use of in-depth data on beginning teachers’ induction supports and teaching quality collected over multiple years shows distinct ways administrators influence new teachers’ decision to remain in their first school.