For any school or district leader, finding and keeping good teachers is one of the top priorities on their to-do list. But with schools across the nation grappling with record high vacancy rates, this has become especially important.
In the latest installment of the State of Education series, TPT surveyed 1,200+ educators across the U.S. to get a pulse on what school leaders can do to recruit educators and motivate them to stay. Teachers resoundingly said that having school leaders who are invested in them — and who provide them with tangible support — are key.
The full report explores what teachers recommend school leaders do to recruit more people into the profession and keep them motivated to stay.
Download Now: State of Education Report
Top Findings at a Glance
If there’s anything to take away from this survey data, it’s that strong leadership is especially important for recruiting teachers and keeping them in the profession. Teachers are drawn to — and stay at — schools and districts where leaders are taking meaningful action to support their needs.
- 88% reported that school leaders who show commitment to teachers’ well-being would retain teachers.
- 48% said that the possibility of working with an inspiring and supportive school leader would attract more teachers.
In addition, the data clearly shows that a teacher’s experience level is a good indicator of what they believe will attract new teachers to the profession, and what support they will need to keep them in the classroom.
- All teachers said that a higher salary (94%), a supportive and inspiring school leader (89%,) and allocated funding to select and purchase resources (84%) would definitely help retain teachers.
- Brand new teachers* were more likely to believe that mentorship opportunities (48%) and opportunities for professional development (42%) would attract people to join the profession versus experienced teachers (20% and 22% respectively).
- Brand new teachers were more likely to believe that chances to collaborate with other teachers in their school (74%) and more professional development (68%) would help retain teachers versus experienced teachers (51% and 48% respectively).
As school leaders work to create a healthy education system where teachers can thrive, it’s clear there’s power in targeted approaches based on where individual teachers are in their careers. Explore the full report for recommendations from teachers, for school leaders, on how to make this happen.
The State of Education Report is a research series by TpT that takes the pulse of educators, and measures the health of the teaching profession. Each edition focuses on challenges educators are facing and shares the promising practices educators are implementing to address them. Find past volumes here.
*We defined “experienced teachers” as those with 10+ years of experience in the classroom and “brand new teachers” as those preparing to enter their first year in the classroom in the fall of 2022.
