It is no surprise to school staff working in the postpandemic world that there is shortage of educators.1 In fact, 10 percent of U.S. teachers left their positions at the end of the 2021–22 school year (Diliberti and Schwartz 2023).
Recruitment means increasing the number of qualified candidates willing to accept an educator position.
Retention is the proportion of educators who remain in their position from one year to the next.
Data show that educator turnover has negative effects on students, families, and schools:
- Losing a teacher midyear corresponds with a loss of between 32 and 72 instructional days for students (Ronfeldt, Loeb, and Wyckoff 2012).
- Students in classes with higher turnover score lower in both English language arts and mathematics (Ronfeldt, Loeb, and Wyckoff 2012).
- Educator turnover is a threat to equity.
- Although high educator turnover rates affect all students, those who are disadvantaged, such as students in high-poverty schools, are disproportionately impacted (Simon and Johnson 2015).
- Educators of color have higher attrition rates than their White peers (Gross et al. 2021).
Recruiting and retaining high-quality educators is critical to the success of a school and the achievement of students. So, what can we do to hire and keep qualified educators in our schools? Educators who feel happy, supported, and confident in their roles are more likely to stay in their positions (Steiner et al. 2022), which in turn provides students with consistency and security in their school environments and supports their well-being (Harding et al. 2019).
1 We use the term “educators” in this blog to be more inclusive of the adults who work with students; however, most research on well-being focuses on classroom teachers.
The Research to Practice Roundtables
We once again turn to the guidance of the research to practice (R2P) roundtables, a group of researchers and practitioners with expertise in educator well-being convened by NCSSLE and the U.S. Department of Education. Since 2021, R2P roundtable participants have shared their thoughts, feedback, and recommendations to promote well-being among educators.
This is the third blog in our educator well-being series. The first blog discussed what we learned from the R2P roundtables about educator well-being overall and provided recommendations for schools and districts to promote well-being. The second blog addressed equity considerations to promote educator well-being. This final blog in the series discusses well-being as it relates to educator recruitment and retention.
R2P Roundtable Insights on How Improving Educator Well-Being Can Support Recruitment and Retention
The R2P roundtable participants told us that schools and districts are in “a panicked state” about recruitment and retention, exacerbated by the educator shortage. The take-home message is clear: Creating a positive school culture, in which educators feel valued and have a sense of well-being, is essential for attracting and retaining high-quality educators.
Research supports this message: Schools with a robust sense of well-being among educators are more successful at recruiting strong educators (Begeman and Bolourian 2023). Likewise, educators with a strong sense of well-being are more likely to stay at their schools, thereby reducing turnover, hiring, and training, which saves resources and provides consistency for students (Begeman and Bolourian 2023).
R2P participants highlighted three domains that they say are crucial to staff wanting to work and stay at a particular school: belonging, autonomy, and competence. Educators, like their students, want to feel a sense of belonging and connectedness, which increases their feelings of well-being. They also want to believe that their colleagues share the same values and culture that they do. Educator well-being is critical to retaining educators of color (Begeman and Bolourian 2023).2 Feeling competent in their role also is a big factor, especially for new educators who have especially high rates of attrition. Finally, giving staff autonomy is one of the only factors that research specifically says relates to educator satisfaction.
2 See blog 2 in this series, which focuses on well-being and equity, for more on that.
R2P Roundtable Recommendations for Improving Educator Well-Being to Support Recruitment and Retainment
According to the National Education Association, “Solving the teacher shortage, along with shortages of support staff like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians, requires long-term, evidence-based strategies” (Pottheiser, n.d.). Here are some strategies for improving educator well-being to support recruitment and retention as shared by the R2P roundtable participants.
Establish a positive culture among educators.
- Invest in professional development, mentoring relationships, competitive benefits packages, and prioritizing a healthy work-life balance among staff because they contribute to feelings of well-being (Diliberti and Schwartz 2023).
Offer hope and use a strengths-based approach.
- Give your staff feelings of optimism and hope—these can be contagious. Show them you value them and are happy that they are your colleagues. Staff who feel optimistic and hopeful will be excited to come to school each day.
- Connect staff with resources that are relevant to them and their work so that they feel supported.
- Celebrate staff by
- acknowledging individuals for doing a good job and for persisting through difficult times and
- implementing the same practices that staff use to help their students feel good about themselves, such as handwritten thank-you notes.
- Focus on promoting the positives that educators bring to school and offer support for the skills they may need help with.
- Train leadership in trauma and healing so that they can support staff mental wellness.
Learn from other schools’ efforts in recruitment and retention.
- Look to research to see how exemplar schools are improving attainment and retention.
- Use existing educator tools and curricula to help train administration in recruitment and retention practices.
Foster a school environment that supports diverse educators and gives them a sense of belonging.3
- Strive to be antiracist.
- Start affinity groups for educators of color to share experiences with their peers.
- Engage educators in conversations about racism.
Use low-maintenance, high-yield strategies to improve teaching conditions.
- Listen to your staff.
- Hear what educators in your school say they need to feel a sense of well-being and what will make them want to stay in their roles.
- Ask educators what would improve the school’s climate. Acknowledge what they share and then take steps to address those things.
- Ask educators, “Why are you in this field? What has drawn you to this job? What is fulfilling for you?” Educators are not so different from students about needing to be seen and acknowledged.
- Be clear about job expectations and stick to those expectations.
3 Read more about equity in the second blog in this series.
Other Voices from the Field
Has your school or district implemented any practices or programs to improve educator well-being that have supported recruitment and retention? What has worked well or has not been so effective? What are your suggestions for improving educator well-being to support recruitment and retention? Please contact us NCSSLE@air.org to share your experiences and ideas!
