Leaving the teaching profession: The role of teacher stress and educational accountability policies on turnover intent

This study examined the relationship between test-based accountability policy at the state level, teacher test stress, teacher burnout, and teacher turnover intentions, while controlling for years of teacher experience. Structural equation modeling of data from 1866 teachers across three states identified that state-specific accountability significantly predicted higher rates of test-stress, burnout, and turnover intent. Greater teacher experience was significantly related to a lower likelihood of teacher migration between schools. This study provides evidence across multiple states that test-based accountability policies may predict greater teacher turnover intent, as well as higher levels of teacher stress. Implications for future research are discussed.