Recruitment & Retention

How Can Schools Keep Educators From Leaving? Teacher Retention Looms Large at SXSW EDU

By Sarah Schwartz — March 01, 2023 3 min read
Woman in an empty blue room walking toward a big bright opening in the wall.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The annual SXSW EDU conference centers on “innovation” in education—discussions about emerging technology, new ways of approaching equity and inclusion, and efforts to advance instructional practice in schools are all on the agenda for the Austin, Texas-based education event, starting March 6.

But all this innovation requires one key component to bring it to life—educators.

Recruiting and retaining K-12 educators, and making sure they’re happy in their jobs, is the theme of many panels and presentations at this year’s conference.

This focus comes after a few of the most disruptive years in education in recent history.

Months of disrupted learning and remote teaching brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic put heavy burdens on classroom teachers. Principals and district leaders faced the logistics of reopening school buildings, quarantines, and safety and health procedures—and the challenge of communicating these updates to often divided communities.

At the same time, parent campaigns to ban school library books and new laws restricting how teachers can discuss race and gender have created a political minefield for classroom teachers and school and district leaders alike to navigate.

At SXSW EDU, presenters will address these complex challenges. Panels cover keeping teachers in the classroom, hiring more teachers of color, and investigating the shifting role of district superintendents.

Read on for the highlights from some of Education Week’s recent coverage of recruitment and retention—for teachers, principals, and school superintendents.

Teachers: Higher pay would keep more teachers in the classroom. But it’s not the only factor

Survey data from the EdWeek Research Center show that better compensation would prevent teachers from quitting. But how that compensation is offered matters.

Teachers’ top choice would be salary increases that exceed the cost of living. Reductions in other expenses such as health-care costs, or one-off bonuses, are less popular options.

The average teacher salary is $61,600, according to the National Education Association. But that number varies considerably depending on geographic location. In Mississippi, for instance, teachers only make an average of $46,862. It’s much higher in New York, where the average salary is $90,222.

Recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced plans to introduce legislation that would mandate a national $60,000 minimum base salary for teachers.

Still, other components of working conditions matter to teachers, too. Some districts are conducting “stay interviews”—conversations with employees they don’t want to lose—to figure out what those factors are that would keep these people in the classroom.

Principals: One study showed that school leaders are leaving. Still, it doesn’t necessarily represent a trend

About 16 percent of principals left their jobs during the 2021-22 academic year, according to a recent research brief from the RAND Corp. Other surveys have found that more principals say they’re planning to leave soon.

But researchers say that it’s not necessarily the case that the profession is on the brink of a mass resignation. It’s possible that some of this turnover was the result of delayed retirements during the pandemic years, they say. (For more on this survey, see this story.)

How can districts retain principals? Just as with teachers, pay plays a role. But researchers with the George W. Bush Institute found in a recent study that even principals who were dissatisfied with their pay would stay in schools where they felt a connection to the community.

The same study also found that improving professional development and school climate and culture supported principal retention.

Superintendents: School boards are trying to woo leaders in turbulent times

Turnover for school system leaders is uneven—it’s more frequent in urban districts. And one analysis found that it disproportionately affects women leaders. As superintendents left districts, this report from the strategy and policy firm ILO Group found, their replacements tended to be men—exacerbating the already wide gender gaps in the field.

In attempts to retain superintendents through the past few turbulent years, school boards have been offering contracts with higher salaries, longer terms, and better perks—like sabbaticals and wellness days.

Still, some superintendents say that the intangibles are what keep them in the role. Having productive relations with the school board and a supportive community make the job much easier, they say, especially in a tense political environment.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Teacher Perspectives: What is the Future of Virtual Education?
Hear from practicing educators on how virtual and hybrid options offer more flexibility and best practices for administrative support.
Content provided by Class

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Recruitment & Retention Opinion It Will Take More Than $60K Salaries to Solve the Teacher Shortage
The American Teacher Act would be a good start, but let's not imagine that it will solve all the problems in the teaching profession.
Katherine Norris & Kathryn Wiley
5 min read
US 100 dollar bill as a bait on a fishing hook.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention How Many Teachers and Principals Quit in the Pandemic? One State Has Answers
In North Carolina, the numbers of educators leaving the classroom exceeded new hires.
4 min read
men and women entering and exiting open doorways on an isolated blue background
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Building the Superintendent Pipeline: Advice From 3 District Leaders
Creating a deep pool of talent pays dividends, superintendents say.
2 min read
Art Cavazos
Art Cavazos, the former superintendent of Harlingen school district, said it's important to give potential successors the chance to build their skills and test their capabilities.
AP
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How to Keep Science Teachers in the Schools That Need Them Most
Professional connections can be key to retaining educators for STEM courses.
4 min read
Joseph Cynor, who teaches 8th grade science at Winona Middle School, counsels a group of students on which combination of vinegar and baking soda might create the biggest explosion on Feb. 22, 2019.
Joseph Cynor, who teaches 8th grade science at Winona Middle School, counsels a group of students on which combination of vinegar and baking soda might create the biggest explosion on Feb. 22, 2019.
Madeline Heim/The Daily News via AP