Developing teacher leader efficacy to address attrition

Abstract Research shows that 44% of new teachers quit teaching within the first 5 years. This study aims to explore the link between teacher leadership and the retention of science and math teachers and contributes to the increasing body of research suggesting that teacher leadership could be a promising way to tackle the problem of retaining teachers in our country. Drawing on survey data from a 5‐year teaching fellowship program serving beginning high school math and science teachers, we propose that teacher leader efficacy, or the extent to which a teacher believes they have the capacity to improve education beyond their own classroom, can be a promising mediator that supports retention. We investigate how expanding teachers' views of leadership and developing and sharing practitioner knowledge can enhance teacher leader efficacy and improve teacher retention. Our findings shed light on the connection between teacher leadership efficacy and retention, emphasizing the importance of leadership models and practitioner inquiry in developing teacher leadership efficacy. We end by discussing implications for others supporting teacher leadership and teacher retention or conducting research in these areas.