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Researchers at the Strategic Data Project (SDP), based at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, recently released new findings on teacher placement and retention patterns.

After observing four school districts, researchers found that first-year teachers are systematically being placed with students who start the academic year performing considerably behind their peers.

For school leaders, this is important because on average, first-year teachers are less effective than teachers with more experience.
Researchers also observed teacher retention patterns. They found very little difference in retention rates between novice teachers considered to be the most effective and novice teachers considered to be the least effective.

For school leaders, these findings suggest the importance of considering teacher effectiveness when forced to lay off teachers.

The schools districts observed in the study were Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (Charlotte, North Carolina), Fort Worth Independent School District (Texas), Fulton County Schools (Georgia), and Gwinnett County Public Schools (Georgia). The districts collectively serve over 465,000 students, 54 % of whom are eligible for free and reduced lunch, and 70 % of whom are ethnic minorities.

This research underscores what we already know about teachers and placement from other research; young teachers tend to be put in lower-performing schools, and the retention of effective novice teachers could be better. Just more fuel to the fire for advancing policies that help keep the best teachers in the classroom, and getting rid of policies like LIFO.