We were pleased to see the Deseret News provide helpful insight on teacher retention in its recent editorial (“Teacher retention — a major concern for Utah,” June 13). There was much in that editorial that should be considered by policymakers. The Utah Priorities surveys we conduct during election years show Utah voters consistently ranking public education among their top concerns, and the problem of teacher attrition in public schools affects Utah as it does most of America. In the editorial, the Deseret News cited Utah Foundation Research from 2007, and we would like to clarify the findings of that report.
When Utah Foundation published the report on teacher attrition, Utah was experiencing a growing rate of teachers leaving the profession in the first three to five years. This was adding to significant teacher shortages and likely harming educational quality.
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