For many years, the conventional wisdom was that teachers’ experience had little bearing on their effectiveness after a few years on the job. This perception has sometimes been used to justify underinvestment in policies aimed at retaining teachers. Yet most rigorous studies over the past two decades have found that, on average, teachers continue to improve as they accumulate additional experience, especially in environments that support professional learning and collaboration.
Key Questions
In this brief, we address three key questions about the value of teaching experience:
Question 1: Do teachers keep improving after their first few years on the job?
Answer: Yes, though generally not as quickly as they do in the first few years.
Question 2: Under what conditions are teachers most likely to improve?
Answer: Teachers are most likely to improve when they work in supportive schools where they can collaborate with experienced colleagues and have stable teaching assignments.
Question 3: How can we retain experienced and effective teachers, especially in our highest-poverty schools?
Answer: By creating high-retention pathways into the teaching profession, cultivating supportive and collegial work environments, and paying teachers in these schools well.
The Bottom Line
The common refrain that teaching experience doesn’t matter after the first few years in the classroom is not supported by the evidence. Rather, it has become increasingly clear that teachers continue to improve well into the second decade of teaching, albeit more gradually than they do initially.
Recommendations
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Make high-quality preparation and mentoring affordable and accessible, especially for teachers in high-need schools.
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Provide quality professional learning opportunities to support teachers’ continued growth.
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Prepare school administrators for the task of creating positive, professional, and collaborative working environments.
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Strengthen policies that encourage a more equitable distribution of experienced teachers.
This brief was produced by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and originally published on their site on June 11, 2025.
