Lifestageretention
Best Practices in retention
Support from colleagues and administrators is one of the most significant factors in a teacher’s decision to leave.
Therefore, it is critical for organizations to foster a culture based on collaboration, support, and mutual respect. By regularly soliciting and responding to staff feedback, as well as frequently voicing meaningful appreciation for employees, leaders can build a strong community that motivates and retains their staff.
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Step
1
Articulate specific retention strategies
Once you understand the root causes behind unwanted attrition, define targeted strategies aligned to each root cause. For all strategies, identify the owner, additional key stakeholders that need to be involved, and a timeframe for implementation. Specific strategies that should always be included are holding Stay Conversations with high-performing staff members prior to Winter Break and completing an Intent to Return survey process to assess each staff member’s plan to return to the organization for the next school year, ideally no later than spring.
RESOURCES
DEIA Callout
Conduct an equity check by reviewing your strategies for potential bias along key demographics and other lines of difference. Ensure the outlined strategies improve retention among all staff subgroups, especially those subgroups that are less represented.
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Step
2
Develop a Clear Communication Strategy
The success of your retention strategies rests squarely on your ability to influence and collaborate with school-level leaders during its implementation. School leaders will ultimately have the largest impact on school staff retention – especially teachers. Your communication strategy must identify specific steps leaders and other stakeholders need to take to successfully implement the strategies. Specific communication methods may include one-on-one meetings, bi-weekly school leader/talent check-ins, or regular touchpoints with principal managers.
RESOURCES
DEIA Callout
For your communication plan to be effective, include a diverse set of voices to report out on the effectiveness of the retention strategies at key milestones.
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Step
3
Train and calibrate stakeholders
School leaders and principal managers need to be trained on your defined retention strategies to be effective. For each strategy, determine what types of training needs are required to ensure stakeholders have what they need to implement it effectively. For example, if Stay Conversations are a key strategy, work to build the skills and mindsets required to effectively engage in Stay Conversations that will result in honest, candid feedback.
RESOURCES
DEIA Callout
Every training session or meeting should include an agenda that specifically highlights the DEIA implications of the content. If your organization has a Chief Equity Officer or other types of DEIA-focused staff members, ask those individuals to review your training content and templates beforehand.
EdFuel can design retention systems and processes for you.