Teacher Attrition: How to Reverse the Trend

Teacher Attrition: How to Reverse the Trend

Teacher attrition is on the rise. It’s a challenging trend that many schools across the country are now facing.

We have the tools and tips to help you support your teachers.

What Leads to Teacher Attrition?

• Stress
• Low pay
• Unmanaged student behavior
• Unrealistic expectations
• Testing standards
• Lack of resources
• Lack of administrative support

The data tells us that 90% of open teaching positions are created by teachers who leave the profession early (as opposed to retiring), and 55% of teachers cite dissatisfaction as the reason for their departure.

One of the main problems that teachers cite is a lack of administrative support.

4 Tips to Increase Teacher Retention

1. Implement User-Friendly Technology

• Use one online hub to schedule and store all observation and feedback communications.
• Track and record all observation frequencies, teacher assessments, meetings, and follow-up plans.
• Reduce unnecessary paperwork by using online forms instead of paper.
• Be virtual–hybrid compatible by sharing videos with your feedback and by uploading lesson plans online.

2. Create a Culture of Feedback

• Make coaching interactive by inviting teachers to become active participants in their development.
• Choose the right feedback platform and ensure feedback flows in both directions.
• Reward teachers for skill mastery once they’ve mastered a challenge or completed a task.
• Create a buddy system within your staff to invite collaboration and reduce the feeling of isolation.

3. Coach What You See

• Look to the classroom for areas of improvement.
• Assess student behavior trends to coordinate relevant coaching topics and to reduce behavior burdens.
• Find opportunities to give the three types of feedback: appreciation, evaluation, and coaching.
• Create actionable follow-up items to keep the momentum going.

4. Mentor with Meaning

• Make professional development a priority by dedicating time consistently to support teacher growth.
• Support SEL and mental health of all by investing in resources and teaching teachers to embody SEL methods.
• Improve job performance with coaching to improve job satisfaction.
• Give the preferred praise-to-criticism ratio when coaching, which is about 6:1, according to Harvard Business Review.

SchoolMint’s coaching and classroom observation platform, SchoolMint Grow, can help you support teachers in their growth and support them in their role.

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