Turnover @ Lowell???

[Anonymous]

Is anyone concerned???

[Anonymous]

OP, are you referring to faculty turnover? The numbers seem to be in the usual range, which is normal for most schools including Lowell. People leave for lots of reasons. My 5th grader's teacher this year is leaving to go live in Ghana for a couple of years, for example. The turnover is not distributed equally between grades so some grades have none and one grade is switching two teachers. No particular concern on the part of this parent.

[Anonymous]

Given the number of teachers leaving this year and last year is NOT typical for a PP-6 school. You should be concerned, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Not badmouthing the school because I love many things about it, but I've been at the school for several years and it definitely concerns me. I really hoped this year would be better than last. I think the delivery of the information to parents was better this year was better, but the end result is the same and it's disconcerting. My fingers are crossed that these are just growing pains with the new head and I'm hoping after this year the dust would have settled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given the number of teachers leaving this year and last year is NOT typical for a PP-6 school. You should be concerned, unfortunately.

What is typicaly for a PP-6/8 school? My understanding is that the turnover is pretty standard and not that different from the turnover at other independent schools. What percentage of teachers typically move on each school year? I would love to hear some thoughts.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the reason for people leaving. For instance, some schools have Assistant/Associate Teacher programs designed to mentor and train Assistants into Lead Teachers. If positions aren't open for Lead Teachers at the school, it is common to see a lot of turnover among Assistants. They'd typically spend 1-3 years mentoring before being ready to take the jump and the jump often takes them elsewhere.

If you're seeing a lot of turnover among lead teachers and, more importantly, among admin, it might be cause for concern. Again, you'd want to find out move. If it is based on personal decisions, such as the teacher mentioned who is moving to Africa, those things happen. If teachers are moving to other local schools in similar positions, it makes you wonder why.

[Anonymous]

Which teachers are leaving? Are the positions going to be filled or be left vacant?

[Anonymous]

I heard that the JK, K and 1st grade first grade teachers were leaving as well as some from pre primary

[Anonymous]

Anyone who is at the school and would have reason to know or care too much has received all the detailed information about who is leaving and who is staying from the school already, as well as the reasons given for those departures. Therefore, I am not sure of the reasons behind this post. In any event, I do not believe that PP's information is correct. The JK teacher is leaving (I believe if I remember correctly that he is moving to another part of the country) and his replacement has already been hired from Beauvoir. In K, I believe one teacher (out of 3) is leaving because she is a mom who has decided to leave teaching for a while. She is being replaced by a teacher who has been handling 1st grade this year due to one of the first grade teachers being out for part of the year. The first grade team is returning to the team it has been for the last few years as the teacher who was out for part of this year is returning. So in all of JK, K and 1, there is only one teacher who has not already taught at Lowell who is joining the faculty. The grade that has been most affected is 2nd grade due to both teachers moving (one to VA and deciding that the commute was too much) and one whose husband took a job in San Francisco. The assistant teachers for 2nd grade will remain the same for next year. I don't remember the details for PP because my kids are older. 3rd grade and 6th grade have no changes at all. 4th and 5th grade each have one teacher leaving and replacements have already been hired (one from Barrie and one from Norwood, if I remember correctly). Other than PE, I don't believe any of the "specials" teachers (spanish, art, music, drama, library, etc.) are changing this year. A new science teacher has been hired because one of the current science teachers has been promoted to an assistant head for the primary school.

[Anonymous]

Schools track this sort of thing. There are peaks and valleys. If the reasons for leaving make sense: relocation, going to graduate school, etc., the departures should not suggest any underlying issues. Lowell's exmissions the past two years have been stellar. That would be the benchmark for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is at the school and would have reason to know or care too much has received all the detailed information about who is leaving and who is staying from the school already, as well as the reasons given for those departures. Therefore, I am not sure of the reasons behind this post. In any event, I do not believe that PP's information is correct. The JK teacher is leaving (I believe if I remember correctly that he is moving to another part of the country) and his replacement has already been hired from Beauvoir. In K, I believe one teacher (out of 3) is leaving because she is a mom who has decided to leave teaching for a while. She is being replaced by a teacher who has been handling 1st grade this year due to one of the first grade teachers being out for part of the year. The first grade team is returning to the team it has been for the last few years as the teacher who was out for part of this year is returning. So in all of JK, K and 1, there is only one teacher who has not already taught at Lowell who is joining the faculty. The grade that has been most affected is 2nd grade due to both teachers moving (one to VA and deciding that the commute was too much) and one whose husband took a job in San Francisco. The assistant teachers for 2nd grade will remain the same for next year. I don't remember the details for PP because my kids are older. 3rd grade and 6th grade have no changes at all. 4th and 5th grade each have one teacher leaving and replacements have already been hired (one from Barrie and one from Norwood, if I remember correctly). Other than PE, I don't believe any of the "specials" teachers (spanish, art, music, drama, library, etc.) are changing this year. A new science teacher has been hired because one of the current science teachers has been promoted to an assistant head for the primary school.

I know for a fact that not all your info is accurate either, so I don't think it's fair for you to undermine or second guess the reason for the PPs post if her facts aren't all correct. I think parents can and should be legitimately concerned about teacher turnover if it appears to be too high. I think PPs question is legitimate even if reasons have been provided for departures. The concern is essentially whether any or most of the reasons are pretext.

[Anonymous]

11:21 - I know for a fact that not all your info is accurate either, so I don't think it's fair for you to undermine or second guess the reason for the PPs post if her facts aren't all correct. I think parents can and should be legitimately concerned about teacher turnover if it appears to be too high. I think PPs question is legitimate even if reasons have been provided for departures. The concern is essentially whether any or most of the reasons provided to parents are pretext.

[Anonymous]

11:21 here. As I tried to make clear in my post, I was working from my memory of the information that had been shared with parents and couldn't be sure of all the details. I certainly never claimed to remember each item but I did know that the blanket statement made in the original post was not correct and did not want these posts to leave a false impression. I don't know what you are getting at about parents being given pretexts. I know several of these teachers personally and there certainly is no mystery about the reasons for leaving. Others that I do not know the reasons seem pretty straightforward: if someone's husband takes a job in San Francisco it is pretty clear why they are not staying to teach in DC. There is teacher turnover, but not to the extent that it seems to be a problem or indicative of a problem with the school. As a PP pointed out, the kids are doing extremely well and that is reflected in the kids I know as well as how they do after leaving Lowell.

[Anonymous]

FYI-

What is shared with parents is not always the real reason for teacher turnover.

[Anonymous]

And/or as your current job becomes less attractive, other options (e.g. shorter commute, relocation, spending more time with your kids) become choice-worthy.