New Book: Why Great Teachers Quit --Released Today (information, reviews and giveaway!)

Did your child’s favorite teacher suddenly leave mid-year, or quit in the summer?  Have you noticed the palpable stress levels of teachers and staff at your local school, especially around standardized testing times, or with new principals, or teaching staff?

Consider that one in three teachers leave in the first three years of teaching, and fifty percent quit in the first five years.   It becomes clear that to give our children continuity, the best teachers possible, and to save loads of tax payer money—we’ve got to focus on teacher sustainability.  For families, this issue is personal. 

Here's an excerpt of the information from Corwin Press's website about my new book, released today:

Learn why today’s best teachers are leaving—from the teachers themselves.

Low pay, increased responsibilities, and high-stakes standardized testing—these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers all over the country, Katy Farber presents an in-the-trenches view of the classroom exodus and uncovers ways that schools can turn the tide.

Farber’s findings paint a sometimes shocking picture of life in today’s schools, taking a frank look at

·      Challenges to teacher endurance, including tight budgets, difficult parents, standardized testing, unsafe schools, inadequate pay, and lack of respect

·      Strategies veteran teachers use to make sure the joys of teaching outweigh the frustrations

·      Success stories from individual schools and districts that have found solutions to these challenges

·      Recommendations for creating a school environment that fosters teacher retention

           

Featuring clear analysis and concrete suggestions for administrators and policy makers, Why Great Teachers Quit takes you to the front lines of the fight to keep great teachers where they belong: in the classroom.

Here's what people are saying about Why Great Teachers Quit:

In Why Great Teachers Quit, Farber has created a must-read and necessary conversation for anyone interested in making improvements both in the long term and by next Tuesday. This book is for every parent who has had their child’s teacher leave in the middle of the year, every administrator who marvels at the difficulty of teacher retention or team spirit, every policy maker ready to walk the walk, and anyone who has invested years in preparation for a career in the classroom only to be faced with the thought of cutting their losses. In this time in which the world and his wife are consulted about how to solve the challenges of education but teachers are too infrequently included in this conversation, Farber invites the people from the front lines to make their voices heard, and in doing so, has created a most promising springboard into real-world solutions. Overflowing with quantitative data, anecdotal evidence and pragmatic, inspirational suggestions by successful veterans in the field, the high-stake results are in:  teachers are interested in “making a difference, not making a bottom line.”  But be forewarned.  Once we have this honest, hopeful book, we can no longer plead ignorance or neglect to make a difference, whatever role we play in the lives of children and the people who teach them.

-Esmé Raji Codell, Author, Educating Esmé

This book is a must-read for every principal, school board member, and policy maker concerned about teacher turnover. Farber does an excellent job framing the problems. Now the question is: What are we willing to do to stem the exodus of great teachers from our schools?”
-Tom Israel, Executive Director, Montgomery County (MD) Education Association

In this lively and interesting book, Katy Farber makes public the real reasons why inexperienced teachers rarely stay long enough or get the support they need to become good, why good teachers don’t become great, and why great teachers quit.”
 -Deborah Meier, Educational Reformer, Writer, and Activist


Finally, a book written by a practicing teacher who really understands what it is like to teach in today’s schools: the demands, challenges, and rewards. Joining her are the voices of teachers from all over the country who have come together to share their stories and wisdom. Written with passion and insight, this is an excellent resource for anyone vested in improving education and keeping quality teachers in the classroom. This book should be required reading for every administrator and school board member.”
-Julie Smart, Special Educator, Rumney Elementary School, Middlesex, VT

You'll find Why Great Teachers Quit online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders.  Please ask for it at your local, independent bookstore as well. I also have an author's site here, with more information and a chance for teachers to tell their stories. 

The book officially comes out today, but I have yet to see a copy (I'm waiting with baited breath!). Want one of the first books off the press?  Leave a comment on this post by August 1, and I will send you one of the ones I get from the publisher as the author. Be sure to leave your email address in a spam unfriendly way.  Thanks for entering, and good luck!

Would you like to review the book on your blog, website, newsletter or magazine?  I'd be thrilled to send you a copy.  Just shoot me an email at non-toxic-kids (at) comcast (dot) net and I will have the publisher send you a copy as soon as they are available.