I would propose that everyone begin requesting that the school administration conduct exit interviews with teachers that include a set of questions to help school board members and the public understand why teachers are resigning.
A few simple answers could be:
1) Retired
2) Moving
3) Inadequate Pay
etc.
But what if there are internal problems?
What if there are problems that are not being addressed? How would anyone ever know?
In Brookline, parents are concerned about the teacher turnover. Fortunately, they are hearing from some of the teachers, but what if parents are not informed?
We seeing large numbers of teachers leave the profession this year. Some reports say that the number isn’t as high as being reported, but in Keene, NH, teachers did let the public know that they were leaving because of problems that were not being addressed by administrators.
Exit interviews shared with the school board and the public, with the names redacted, could be a way to hold administrators responsible.
One disgruntled employee wouldn’t raise alarms, but several teachers who resigned over internal problems need to be addressed. If no one knows that there is a problem, how do you fix it?
It doesn’t have to be extensive either. A few questions about why they are leaving, with a section to add their comments, would suffice.
If we truly support teachers in New Hampshire, we have to look at all of the reasons they are resigning. If that needs to be addressed in an effort to support a good working environment, this is one way to do that.
Contact your local School Board Chair and ask that an exit interview be included after a resignation and that all of those be made transparent.
