4
E S TABL ISHING A L A S T ING L E G AC Y
46%
58%
69%
Stress
Burnout
Disengagement
Teachers feeling “high “Educators reporting daily stress during the that they had seven or school year” (Gallup, more days in the past 2014, p. 24) 30 that their mental health was not good” (American Federation of Teachers, 2017)
Teachers either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” (Gallup, 2014, p. 26)
Figure I.1: Findings related to teacher turnover.
neglect, and household dysfunction” (Center on the Developing Child, 2021). But cases such as these are vastly out of leaders’ hands. So, what can you, as the leader of your school, do to retain your people? What factors within your influence are directly related to keeping your teachers in their classrooms and, in turn, helping them grow as educators? Through our scholarly research, consulting with state-level organizations and independent school districts, and serving in several roles in both the K–12 and higher education settings, we’ve found several consistencies in why teachers leave the profession. Many of these consistencies point to the fact that a major influencer in teacher retention is the environment in which teachers work. Retention factors related to the school environment include leadership authenticity, collective and self-efficacy, trust, communication, and vision clarity, all of which we address throughout this book. While there may not be a silver bullet to solving teacher retention concerns, the needle that weaves together the quilt of retention factors is you. No matter your teachers’ ages, years of experience, or positions; no matter your school size, location, or grade orientation; the single most instrumental variable in elevating retention factors is the leader of the school (Hattie & Yates, 2014). As leaders, we can be at the front and center of responding to teacher turnover concerns by establishing a culture where people feel safe, valued, and cared for. When all is said and done, we have a responsibility to develop the working conditions necessary for the growth and sustainability of our teachers’ professional needs (Liu & Hallinger, 2018; Tschannen-Moran & Gareis, 2015). Unfortunately, Leib Sutcher, Linda Darling-Hammond, and Desiree Carver-Thomas (2016) suggest “a lack of administrative support” (p. vi) is a primary
