By Leslie Hazle Bussey, Ph.D.
There are two ways to think about teacher retention. One, as the word “retain” implies, is to accept as natural and unchangeable that teachers will want to leave, while making it difficult for them to do so. Another approach is best illustrated by the attracting force that is a fire pit. For millennia, fires have called humans to gather around to find safety, warmth, community and to build not only relational bonds but to integrate insights shared by others into our own path of life – or in modern terms, into professional practice. Fire pits invite and attract, not merely “retain.”
In the 2023-2024 academic year, school leaders from nine middle schools across metro Atlanta embarked on a transformative journey through the RETAIN (Restoring Teacher Aspiration and Innovation) learning experience.
This innovative approach aimed to improve school conditions, fostering an environment where teachers feel valued and inspired to stay. Rather than working on band-aid solutions like jeans days that temporarily numb the effects of toxic working conditions for teachers, RETAIN addressed deeper causes: leader wellness, leader social-emotional competencies, and district policies and practices that impact leader working conditions.
RETAIN invites leaders (such as principals, assistant principals, and coaches) to reflect on their strengths and develop interpersonal skills such as cultivating trustworthiness, actionable self-reflection, and mental and emotional wellness practices. Research on leadership effectiveness as well as findings from the field of neuroscience underscore that these skills are critical not only to be “nice,” but to optimize leadership performance in vision-casting, culture-shaping, generative idea development, and strategic decision-making. The RETAIN experience combines: 1) face-to-face convenings to build community within participants’ teams and with job-alike peers; 2) mini-lessons that deepen conceptual understanding of the connections among leaders’ relational skills, school culture, and teacher retention; 3) homework to apply concepts in their daily leadership practice; and 4) individual coaching to deepen implementation.
Early signs from our first nine schools are encouraging, reflecting shifts in leadership practices and reductions in teacher turnover.
Participants reported profound changes in their leadership styles. Faculty meetings have become more inclusive and engaging, with leaders crafting questions that genuinely seek teacher input. “I learned that colleagues respect my honesty when I am transparent and then in turn be vulnerable themselves,” reflected School Improvement Coach Marquise Delaney. By embracing vulnerability and stepping away from a perpetual crisis-driven directive mode, these leaders have created a culture of openness and trust which are bedrock conditions for schools where expert mastery of learning is the key to success – and where teachers volunteer for more leadership opportunities, according to Principal Kimberly Whitfield.
The data reinforce participants’ stories. The number of teachers leaving the cohort schools dropped by 55%, from 61 teachers the previous year to only 24 this year. This reduction suggests that we may be on to something with the idea that helping leaders to work on themselves creates more supportive and attractive school environments for teachers that, like a fire pit, attract them to not only stay, but to contribute and grow.
Most importantly, schools where teachers want to teach and learn are also more vibrant places for students to learn, thrive and succeed in a future where human-centered skills are at a premium.
Leslie Hazle Bussey, Ph.D., Leslie is CEO & Executive Director of GLISI, the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement.
RETAIN is a partnership among Learn4Life Metro Atlanta Regional Education Partnership, GLISI and Mindful Leader Coaching to design and implement a learning journey for school leaders in the Metro Atlanta area. This work was made possible by a grant from R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, as well as the support of five partner districts: Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb County School District, Fulton County Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools, and Marietta City Schools.
This is sponsored content.
The post The Fire Pit Effect: How RETAIN Schools are Inspiring Teachers to Stay appeared first on SaportaReport.