How Career Education And Coaching Can Help Retain Teachers

Replacing qualified teachers costs up to $20,000 in a large urban school district, creating a national cost of around $8.5 billion a year. Teacher retention is critical not only to the financial viability of school systems but to student success as well. High teacher turnover is associated with declining academic performance and class participation. Providing career education and ongoing coaching opportunities is a powerful way to boost teacher retention and improve student outcomes.

Preparing Teachers In Advance

Teachers who are thrown into the position out of a dire need for warm bodies in the classroom often burn out and depart shortly after. Though a growing number of states are loosening their educational and certification requirements for teachers, this won’t help solve the teacher shortage if these individuals don’t get the preparatory training that they need. Of teachers who have left their positions, 28% went on to pursue a different job. Teachers who are well-prepared for the job are more likely to remain in the profession.

Proper job prep for teachers should include:

• An observation period, watching other teachers work.
• A minimum of one full semester of student teaching.
• Constructive feedback from superiors.
• Completion of courses in learning theory, teaching methods, and material selection.

Teachers that don’t get these four things are two to three times more likely to leave the profession than those who are prepared properly. Appropriate career education will help keep teachers in place, which in turn creates stronger classrooms and better student outcomes.

Providing Administrative Support

Schools that offer adequate administrative support for teachers have a 23% lower turnover rate. This type of support can help facilitate successful career education by providing an organized system for professional development. Administrations can support teachers’ educational opportunities by providing orientation sessions, teacher retreats, professional development workshops, and educator seminars. School leaders should seek to partner with instructional coaches who can deliver the information and resources that teachers need to not only succeed but excel.

Supporting Professional Learning

Schools that actively support professional learning can greatly increase teacher satisfaction and retention. Instructional coaching is one powerful way to do so, allowing teachers to partner one-on-one with coaches that can help them find the resources they need to improve. Of teachers working with an instructional coach, 96% reported increased morale and the same number said they felt they could grow more as a teacher by working with a coach.

With the current teacher shortage, it behooves school districts to remain highly competitive in this area. Savvy job seekers can evaluate job market trends, benefits packages, and CareerBuilder reviews to identify the best job opportunities. Having an organized and active support program in place can help make a school increasingly desirable to quality teachers who will not only stay in their positions but truly thrive there.

Offering Job-Embedded Professional Development

Job-embedded professional development is the new gold standard for teachers. Training outside the classroom translates to changes in classroom practice just 10% of the time. That’s why school districts are increasingly abandoning this practice to deliver job-embedded coaching instead. Job-embedded development happens in the classroom during the school day. It includes teacher collaboration throughout the school with educators observing, mentoring, and coaching one another to promote better student outcomes.

Job-embedded feedback and coaching have an astounding success rate, leading to changes in classroom practice 95% of the time. This type of coaching has a greater effect on student achievement than data-driven instruction, pre-service training, and extended learning time. Implementing this strategy is a powerful way to equip teachers for greater success and thus encourage long-term retention.

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Implementing Grow Your Own Programs

Grow Your Own programs recruit individuals from within the community and help prepare them for teaching careers. These programs typically focus on paraprofessionals and high school students interested in the profession. Grow Your Own programs provide valuable career education, familiarizing individuals with the district, policies, procedures, and job requirements early on. This enables future teachers to align themselves with the best educational path for their pursuits from an early stage.

Grow Your Own programs can reduce the financial burden of becoming a teacher in some states. Illinois, Tennessee, and Minnesota all provide financial support for participants to make college more affordable.

Providing career education and coaching for educators is an effective way to increase retention. Educators who feel well-equipped for their jobs and receive ongoing support to continually improve can experience a greater sense of satisfaction that will keep them in their positions for years to come.

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