Subject-Area Specialization and Teacher Retention: An Elementary School Story

• Published in: The Elementary school journal Vol. 124; no. 2; pp. 343 - 366
• Main Authors: Bastian, Kevin C, Fortner, C. Kevin, Caton, Kate
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Chicago Press 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Schools; Intellectual Disciplines; Specialists; Specialization; Teacher Persistence; Teacher Role; North Carolina
• ISSN: 0013-5984
• DOI: 10.1086/727503

School leaders need effective, affordable approaches to retain their teacher workforce. We investigated a promising, low-cost option for school leaders to encourage teacher retention: subject-area specialization in elementary grades (K-5). Using data on North Carolina elementary grades teachers and schools in the 2011-2012 through 2015-2016 academic years, we track the incidence of subject-area specialization, assess whether teaching in a specialist role promotes retention, and examine whether subject-area specialization is an effective retention strategy for certain schools and teachers. Descriptive analyses show specialization is common in upper elementary grades and has become a more widely used assignment strategy over time. Retention analyses indicate that elementary grades teachers are more likely to return to the same school after becoming a specialist. These results vary by school and teacher characteristics, suggesting that specialization may be a more effective retention strategy in urban schools, in non-high-need schools, and for Black teachers.