Strong leadership is key to teacher retention

Teachers name strong campus leadership as key to staying in the classroom. Leaders identify robust and ongoing support as central to teacher retention. 

  • “Is high turnover of staff a red flag? Does it depend on the specific area, or is it a universal sign that a school not able to retain teachers and ancillary staff is a red flag?” —Anonymous 
    • “Absolutely. Teachers don’t quit good schools. They don’t even quit okay schools. Or acceptable schools, in some disciplines. Teachers will put up with a lot. You see a school where the social studies department has nobody more senior than 1 or 2 years? (And it isn’t a newly built place.) Don’t work there.” —High School ELA Teacher
    • “Absolutely. My first job was at a school where the turnover rate went from 66% to 20% in one year. I wondered why. Then I met my amazing principal. That’s the power of a good principal.” —Music Teacher in Texas
    • “My current principal is awesome and after working for a series of awful administrators; I plan on retiring from this school if I can or at least staying as long as she does. I could leave if I really wanted to. This is not to say that I never get frustrated with things my boss does; but they’re blips on the radar and the good she does FAR outweighs any temporary frustrations (which are usually the district office’s fault anyway).” —Middle School Science Teacher in Georgia
  • “As building leaders, as district leaders, we have to understand the teacher struggle. … Many teachers are highly skilled, but they’re overwhelmed by systemic issues. They may be truly dedicated, but they … don’t know how to fix the things that are broken. And right now, teachers are feeling the pressure. Compliance is really emphasized much more than competence, and it leaves teachers feeling unsupported and like they truly don’t matter.” —Leader in Missouri 
    • “Effective teaching requires a really robust support system. It requires ongoing and adequate training. We have to give our teachers that professional development that is job embedded. It can’t be one-and-done.” —Leader in Missouri