Recent research confirms what educators have always known: educators matter. But there are growing challenges to staffing schools with top quality educators. Educator attrition through retirement or educators leaving the field, a shortage of new educators, and the changing nature of teaching. All of these conditions put a strain on the ability for Arizona's schools' to attract, hire and keep the kind of educators who make a difference for student achievement.

Some educator attrition is inevitable. Educators transfer to other schools, they retire, they leave for personal reasons such as caring for family or children, and a small number are dismissed from jobs. Of concern are the growing number who leave the profession, especially those who leave after only a few years for reasons other than those just mentioned.

National and local data point to the disparity between the number of new educators needed now and for the future and those preparing for and entering the field. This disparity, along with the alarming rates of attrition for new educators, suggests that there will be more competition among school districts for qualified educators.

As schools work to maintain a high quality educator workforce, the loss of an educator has a high cost, not just a monetary loss but also a loss for student achievement.