Teacher Exit Survey Development Through a Researcher–Practitioner Partnership: A Collaborative Approach

Abstract

This article details the community-engaged research process employed by a researcher–practitioner partnership (RPP) to develop and pilot a common exit survey of teachers from participating school districts at the end of the 2018–2019 school year. This development occurred with input from school district representatives serving on a study team as well as through ongoing conversations with district human resource directors. There were three goals for this process: (1) to develop a common exit survey relevant to local needs with a strong conceptual framework, (2) to increase response rates and establish consistent administration practices in the region, and (3) to inform future data collection and analysis related to the broader RPP study on teacher retention. The resultant instrument articulated nine common categories of reasons for leaving based on analysis and adaptation of regional exit surveys: retirement, personal reasons, teacher preparation, compensation and benefits, career advancement/switch or higher education, community context, district context, school context, and testing and accountability context. Exit survey items are provided with reliability and validity information, and theoretical and practical implications are discussed.