News

Randy Hitz, dean of the Graduate School of Education, authored a commentary piece in today's Oregonian newspaper, "The hidden costs of teacher turnover" (July 11, 2007).

In the article, Hitz cites a new study by the National Commission for Teaching and America's Future that analyzes the cost to school districts due to teacher attrition. Portland Public Schools, for example, faces an estimated cost of $8,548,750 annually. But the cost of losing good teachers goes beyond the monetary.

"The greatest cost is in the quality of education that students receive," writes Hitz. "When teachers leave the profession, they take with them experience and expertise that add value to the educational experiences of their students. To make matters worse, many of the teachers who leave cannot be replaced by properly qualified teachers since there are shortages in some subject areas and it is difficult to hire any teachers in some rural Oregon districts."

To read more about the problem, and some proposed solutions, visit http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1184108109119680.xml&coll=7 for complete text.