Many new teachers are leaving states like Oklahoma in search of states with higher starting salaries. This exodus of teachers has become a concern for education administrators and legislators who fear that the low salaries are the principal reason for teachers leaving.

A study conducted at Teachers College, however, has concluded that "the teacher shortage in the United States is not due to people leaving the field for higher salaries, but people leaving because of early dissatisfaction". Nearly half of all new teachers leave because of discipline issues and they feel they receive little support from school administrators. This study has lead states like Michigan to implement new teacher mentoring in the effort to retain a larger percentage of new teachers.

The article, entitled "Continued Teacher Shortage in State Becomes Concern" appeared in the May 2001 edition of the Oklahoma Daily.

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Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001