A South Carolina teacher exit survey revealed many of the state’s educators struggled to find reasons to stay in their jobs last year because of concerns with school leadership, their workload and other COVID-related conditions.
Last month, the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium released the results of a 2020-21 exit survey revealing why teachers in five school districts across the Midlands region decided to leave their jobs. The survey comes a year after the Center for Education Recruitment, Retention & Advancement found nearly 6,000 teachers left their jobs over the 2019-20 school year.
The survey, which was conducted anonymously, asked 224 teachers about their level of experience, reasons for leaving and plans going forward. Most respondents said a desire to move or take an early retirement were the top reasons they left their jobs. Some 14 percent indicated they were dissatisfied with the school administration and leadership.
The survey also asked teachers how the COVID-19 pandemic factored into their decision to leave. The results showed the consequences of the virus, including added workload, an inability to connect with students and a lack of support from the community, pushed more people out of their jobs than safety concerns surrounding the virus itself.
A South Carolina teacher exit survey revealed many of the state's educators struggled to find reasons to stay in their jobs last year because of concerns with school leadership, their workload and other COVID-related conditions. https://t.co/kowEy0sADt
— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) October 17, 2021