This study examined the relationship between teacher reports of victimization and teachers leaving the school and the profession.
Teacher victimization is a relatively understudied phenomenon that the literature suggests may contribute to teacher turnover. Using nationally representative data (n = 104,840) from the Schools and Staffing Survey, the current study examined the extent to which being threatened or attacked by students predicts higher rates of teacher turnover and whether this relationship differs due to factors that may promote teacher resilience. The study used conditional multinomial logistic regression, implicitly controlling for school-by-year fixed effects. Findings suggest that perceived victimization predicts an increased probability of leaving the school and profession. School-level promoters of resilience are found to mitigate this relationship. This article discusses ways schools can mitigate the impact of victimization. This work contributes to a nascent body of literature on teacher victimization and informs a policy lever by which turnover may be reduced. (publisher abstract modified)