Stopping the brain drain of skilled veteran teachers

"Veteran educators are being encouraged to take early retirement in order to create jobs for less-experienced, lower-paid, novices. Veteran educators are not alone. Early retirement promotions have become the norm for aging workers in America. There is a brain-drain of skilled workers at the national, state, and local level. The early retirement of our most talented veteran educators is leaving our schools without the necessary leadership, hard-earned experience, skills, and wisdom to meet the complex challenges our country faces in our complex world. Indeed there are long-term consequences of losing skilled educators while they are in the prime of their professional lives. This book challenges the : good news only" theory of early retirement promotions which suggest that veteran educators are no longer needed as they age and their retirement is the only way schools can survive financially in these tough times. It's a " no problem here" approach that says everyone gets a reward. The novice educators get a job and the vets get some cash. No problem that is until the veteran educators are out the door and the school staff, students, and parents are left without their steady guiding hand. This book focuses on why it is imperative that we offer our most gifted veteran educators career alternatives that will encourage and reward them to remain on board , continuing to provide leadership and be role models for novice and mid-career staff, students, parents, and community members"--