Career Paths of Beginning Public School Teachers

This brief presents findings from a five-year study of 1,990 public school teachers who began teaching in 2007–08. The study found that teachers were more likely to stay in the profession if they had a mentor and participated in an induction program in their first year, earned a base salary in excess of $40,000, or taught in schools where the population eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (an indication of a high-need school) was below 50 percent.