A study by CompData Surveys shows the total turnover rate has slowly decreased in the four year span from 2008 to 2011. Overall turnover peaked at 18.7 percent in 2008, gradually sliding to its lowest mark of 14.4 percent last year. According to the recent survey, some industries fared much worse than others in 2011. The hospitality sector saw total turnover of 29.1 percent, while utilities reported just 6.2 percent.
In comparison, preliminary results from HR Services’ new 2010-11 Teacher Turnover survey finds total teacher turnover of nearly 12 percent in Texas public school districts. Twenty percent of overall teacher turnover was attributed to involuntary turnover, including nonrenewals and terminations (or resignations in lieu of these actions).
HR Services’ DataCentral subscribers can access a comprehensive series of new and updated online surveys, including the 2010-11 Teacher Turnover survey, to help HR administrators answer critical policy and budget questions. Visit DataCentral 
to learn more and participate in HR Surveys.
In December of 2012, the State Board for Educator Certification amended the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) section that includes the Educators’ Code of Ethics to add a definition of the term “good moral character.”The term was used in the previous rule but was never defined.
The new definition of good moral character is in 19 TAC §247.1 and reads as follows:
(9) Good moral character--The virtues of a person as evidenced by patterns of personal, academic, and occupational behaviors that, in the judgment of the State Board for Educator Certification, indicate honesty, accountability, trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity. Lack of good moral character may be evidenced by the commission of crimes relating directly to the duties and responsibilities of the education profession as described in §249.16(b) of this title (relating to Eligibility of Persons with Criminal Convictions for a Certificate under Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53), or by the commission of acts involving moral turpitude, but conduct that evidences a lack of good moral character is not necessarily limited to such crimes or acts.
A National Education Association (NEA) report issued last December echoes national education reform headlines with its support for more rigorous pre-service requirements for prospective teachers and career paths and new evaluation systems for established teachers. The report is the product of a committee charged with making recommendations to help the union promote more effective teaching practices.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said the union will support national standards for teacher preparation and licensing, including calling for a full year teaching residency for all teacher candidates and a requirement to pass a performance-based assessment before entering the classroom.
NEA also supports a career ladder for teachers with three steps (novice, professional, and master teacher). Teachers in leadership roles would be evaluated less frequently, work longer hours, mentor colleagues, and take on more challenging teaching assignments. They would also earn a higher salary—a significant change for the union, which has opposed nearly all differentiated compensation programs.
The report made no mention of the role of student test scores in teacher evaluations.
—“NEA Stakes a Claim in Teacher Effectiveness Debate,” by Liana Heltin, Education Week, Dec. 8, 2011.
