A01=Douglas B. Larkin
A01=Suzanne Poole Patzelt
Author_Douglas B. Larkin
Author_Suzanne Poole Patzelt
Category=JNF
Category=JNK
Category=JNT
Category=KJMV2
Color-conscious equity hiring inclusive schools
educational stakeholders
Educator load autonomy schedule improvement
eq_bestseller
eq_business-finance-law
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Faculty culture career workforce sustainability
Longitudinal study attrition burnout research
Principal job satisfaction leadership outcomes
professional development
Retention districts administrator urban
school communities
school districts
supportive relationships
teacher autonomy
teacher compensation
teacher retention
Teaching induction fit interpersonal bonds
teaching load
work environment
Product details
- ISBN 9798895570425
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 17 Feb 2026
- Publisher: Harvard Educational Publishing Group
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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A research-based guide uncovering what teachers say keeps them in their schools—and how leaders can sustain them
The Reasons Teachers Stay offers a powerful new perspective on the urgent issue of teacher retention. While national headlines focus on why so many teachers leave, Douglas B. Larkin and Suzanne Poole Patzelt flip the question to ask: What makes teachers stay? Larkin and Patzelt’s findings can inform the practice of administrators, school leaders, and teachers in creating supportive work environments within K–12 school districts.
Drawing on a six-year longitudinal study of US schools, districts, and communities with high rates of teacher retention, the work reveals that sustaining effective teachers in their jobs requires more than just a satisfactory working environment and incentives. Larkin and Patzelt find that teachers are retained when an interrelated set of conditions, including a manageable teaching load, a degree of autonomy, adequate compensation, and supportive relationships with colleagues, are in place to meet their needs. They present their findings using the teacher embeddedness framework to show how fit, interpersonal connections, and school-based/community assets matter more than previously understood.
Engaging case studies and interviews with teachers and administrators throughout the book illustrate these concepts in action. The work ends with practical recommendations to enact key tenets of the framework in schools, such as establishing mentorship and induction programs; fostering teacher agency, autonomy, and protection; and providing strong support for teachers of color.
The Reasons Teachers Stay offers a powerful new perspective on the urgent issue of teacher retention. While national headlines focus on why so many teachers leave, Douglas B. Larkin and Suzanne Poole Patzelt flip the question to ask: What makes teachers stay? Larkin and Patzelt’s findings can inform the practice of administrators, school leaders, and teachers in creating supportive work environments within K–12 school districts.
Drawing on a six-year longitudinal study of US schools, districts, and communities with high rates of teacher retention, the work reveals that sustaining effective teachers in their jobs requires more than just a satisfactory working environment and incentives. Larkin and Patzelt find that teachers are retained when an interrelated set of conditions, including a manageable teaching load, a degree of autonomy, adequate compensation, and supportive relationships with colleagues, are in place to meet their needs. They present their findings using the teacher embeddedness framework to show how fit, interpersonal connections, and school-based/community assets matter more than previously understood.
Engaging case studies and interviews with teachers and administrators throughout the book illustrate these concepts in action. The work ends with practical recommendations to enact key tenets of the framework in schools, such as establishing mentorship and induction programs; fostering teacher agency, autonomy, and protection; and providing strong support for teachers of color.
Douglas B. Larkin is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Montclair State University.
Suzanne Poole Patzelt is an assistant professor in the Department of Alternative Programs and University Partnerships at Touro University.
