Spotlight: What do we know about early career teacher attrition rates in Australia?

There is a perception in Australia that there is a high attrition rate of teachers both during their initial teacher education (ITE) and within the first five years of graduation from ITE. If this is correct, there are implications for governments that fund ITE and staffing implications for education sector employers and schools. The impact of attrition may be the loss of quality teaching graduates, which could in turn impact the development of a strong workforce of experienced, high calibre teachers – critical for student outcomes.