I started my morning by trying to find wood on my desk. The stacks of paper, periodicals, must-read books, etc. were approaching Mount Cheaha size! (2,314 feet)
Remembering the efficiency expert David Allen’s advice to only handle a piece of paper once —something I fail at miserably every day—I picked up the nearest sheet of paper to act upon it. Alas, it was far too engaging – ASCD’s March 2013 Education Update with the feature story titled: “Focus on Retention: How to Keep Your Best Teachers.”
The teaser for the article really grabbed my attention: “In the United States, teacher turnover for most districts is close to 20 percent, with higher rates in urban districts and for new teachers.” Next, the article cited the cost of this high annual turnover at $7.3 billion (based on the latest estimate by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future).
Well, I thought, that’s one huge justification for continuing the work of the A+ Best Practices Center. Wondering how we could both step up and measure our impact on teacher retention, I read further and was reminded of a recent national report about teachers who are “irreplaceable.” I wondered how many people, including educators, have ever considered that we have teachers who simply can’t be replaced?
The Irreplaceables
The New Teacher Project (TNTP), which published this disquieting study of teacher retention last summer, defined irreplaceables as “our very best teachers” – estimated to be about 20 percent of the total teaching force. We could quibble over the percentage, but that’s not really the point. The issue is our pressing need to “understand the real retention crisis.”
Here’s the bad news: TNTP estimates that 10,000 of those irreplaceable teachers leave the schools that need them most (in the 50 largest school districts) every year. The report also documents that almost 100,000 of the lowest-performing teachers in those districts remain in the classroom.
Here in Alabama, we know that every school system has a core of truly superior teachers who not only achieve stellar results with students but inspire and lead colleagues to better practice. And many systems smaller than the “Big 50” are at significant risk of losing them for reasons other than retirement.
Taking action
So what should schools and districts do to keep their “irreplaceables?” After interviewing irreplaceables in four large school systems, the TNTP identified eight actionable needs expressed by these top teachers and organized them into four categories :
Feedback and Development
- Provide me with regular, positive feedback.
- Help me identify areas for my own development.
- Give me critical feedback about my performance informally.
Recognition
- Recognize my accomplishments publicly.
- Inform me that I am high-performing.
Responsibility and Advancement
- Show me identified opportunities or paths for teacher leader roles.
- Put me in charge of something important.
Resources
- Provide me with access to additional resources for my classroom.
What I’m thinking . . .
As I was reading those recommendations, I was reminded of our ABPC work, particularly the ongoing Instructional Partners Pilot—a partnership with the ALSDE to introduce a powerful model of schoolwide instructional coaching and collaboration.
Looking at the first recommendation, provide regular positive feedback, I remembered that just a few weeks ago the brilliant Jim Knight, author of Unmistakable Impact and a new book titled High Impact Instruction, spent three days in Alabama facilitating a coaching institute. Jim is the director of instructional coaching at the Kansas Coaching Project (based at Kansas University) and his books and ideas form the conceptual cornerstone for the IP Pilot.
When he was here, Jim reminded us that to thrive, students need many more positive interactions with their teachers than negative (he suggested at least 3:1). Pondering that data point about positive interaction, I wondered about teachers and school leaders as well. Don’t adults need those same positive experiences? I think so. The TNTP findings seem to confirm that our best educators do need encouragement and affirmation – and it doesn’t stop there.
While educators want and expect positive interactions, they also want the kind of “critical friend” feedback that can help them improve. And when I say “critical friend,” I’m talking about feedback that is delivered respectfully and in ways that the recipient can act upon.
And we can’t stop with feedback, either. The TNTP report reminds us of the importance of authentic recognition, including growth and leadership opportunities, and the provision of enough classroom resources to allow creative teachers eager to improve the tools they need to achieve their professional potential. As I type this, I can visualize several of our partners in schools nodding—both teachers and administrators!
So as you return from spring break, with just a few months of school left, let me ask you these questions:
What are you, as a teacher leader or administrator, doing to retain your “irreplaceables?” And, what are you doing to develop more “irreplaceables?” Share your ideas and strategies with us by either commenting on this blog entry or sending me a note at [email protected].
