3 Awesome Teacher Retention Strategies
American teachers are more likely to jump ship than teachers in other developed countries, according to research. Annual teacher turnover in the United States currently stands at around 8 percent — that's higher than Finland, Singapore, and Ontario, Canada. What gives?
Stagnant salaries, long hours, and a general lack of respect — these are just some of the reasons new teachers quit. So how can educational organizations keep hold of their top talent? Below are three teacher retention tips you need to know about to help with this dilemma.
1. Improve Working Conditions
Working conditions have a profound impact on teacher retention. How do you create a good working environment for teachers? Safe, secure learning environments that promote professional development and foster teacher-parent collaboration will make the school day a little bit easier. Giving educators the opportunity to provide feedback also encourages better working relations. Retaining teachers will be a lot easier if you make these small, simple changes.
2. Enhance Communication Efforts
Better communication between teachers facilitates learning outcomes. Still, many teachers struggle to communicate with necessary people like admin, support staff, or custodians on a regular, timely basis. For example, a teacher might fail to report a problem to administrative staff, or they may not tell the principal about a classroom dispute. A fear of not being listened to, a lack of support from colleagues, and not wanting to waste a colleague's time — these are just some of the barriers to effective classroom communication.
Teachers who are able to report problems and receive the support they need, however, are more likely to feel positive about their job. Support from colleagues and administrators is one of the key factors in a teacher's decision to stay in their current position, according to research from the Center for Teacher Quality.
Is there a solution? Indeed. Badge Messenger® is a simple messaging and alert system that expedites communication between teachers and other admin and staff. Teachers and school staff can place this two-way messaging system on the reverse of their I.D. badges and call for assistance and help when they need it.
3. Encourage Creativity
Inflexible school curriculums and age-old regulations can stifle a teacher's creativity. Educational organizations, therefore, should give teachers more control over the topics they teach and the learning outcomes they want to achieve. It could reduce teacher attrition significantly.
"Creative teachers know that education is forever evolving, so they stay up-to-date with all of the latest educational news," says TeachHub.com. "They do this because they know how important it is to try new things."
Teachers who have more control are less likely to leave their jobs. In fact, 14 percent of teachers cite "a lack of autonomy" as the reason for quitting the profession, according to the Learning Policy Institute. Educational organizations should gauge a teacher's creativity during the teacher selection process.
These are just three ways to increase teacher retention. Improving working conditions, enhancing communication efforts, and encouraging creativity can all implore more teachers to stay in their jobs to educate, inform, and inspire the next generation of students.
