Retention

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to keep school and district staff from leaving their jobs

See also: Grade Retention, Recruitment & Retention

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The State of Teaching, 2026
New national data on the teaching profession, vivid reporting from classrooms, and resources to help support this essential profession.
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Figures are swept up to a large magnet outside of a school. Teacher retention.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Canva
School & District Management Opinion If We Want Teachers to Stay, Principals Must Lead Differently
Here are three ways school leaders can make teaching feel more sustainable.
S. Kambar Khoshaba, May 5, 2026
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4 min read
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Andrew Reed/EdSource
Teaching Profession Download 5 Strategies for Supporting K-12 Teachers: Lessons From California
This resource discusses the main takeaways from a March 2026 live event hosted by Education Week and EdSource.
April 23, 2026
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1 min read
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.
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Recruitment & Retention Whitepaper Expert Guide | 5 Strategies to Reduce Paraeducator Turnover
Download this guide to explore five practical strategies to improve onboarding, communication, and staff support.
Content provided by Vector Solutions
Lead images complilation 1720 x 1150 (4)
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Here's Why Teachers Say They Haven't Quit
Beyond a love of teaching, teachers have practical reasons to stick to their jobs.
Olina Banerji, April 15, 2026
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1 min read
Fifth-grader Willow Miller raises the U.S. and Nevada flags in a daily flag-raising ceremony to start the school day in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Teacher Abbey Crouse assists at right. The school, along with an elementary, middle and high school in neighboring Sandy Valley, are the only schools in the mostly urban Clark County School District to meet just four days a week.
A student raises the U.S. and Nevada flags to start the school day on March 30, 2022, in Goodsprings, Nev., where the elementary school meets four days week. A growing number of schools have turned to four-day weeks over the past two decades, sometimes for budget reasons, other times for teacher recruitment and retention. But the payoff isn't always clear-cut.
Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
School & District Management Explainer The 4-Day School Week: What Research Shows About the Alternative Schedule
More schools have shifted to the four-day week. How common is it? Does it save money and attract teachers?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 9, 2026
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7 min read
Sign on door that reads "Principal's Office" from a school.
Liz Yap/Education Week with E+
School & District Management Principal Turnover Went Down in This State. But That’s Not the End of the Story
North Carolina lowered its principal attrition rate. Those who stay report working conditions haven’t changed.
Olina Banerji, March 26, 2026
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6 min read
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.
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Professional Development Whitepaper Build a Community Where Teachers Thrive
Built for today’s school leaders, the ASU Prep Global Teacher Retention Playbook delivers proven, scalable strategies to attract, support...
Content provided by ASU Prep Global
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Opinion Want to Retain Teachers? Ask the Right Questions Before Hiring Them
Teachers will want to stay in schools that meet their needs as professionals and as humans.
Larry Ferlazzo, March 16, 2026
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11 min read
A look at the state of teaching in Fresno, Calif.
A look at the state of teaching in Fresno, Calif.
Andri Tambunan for Education Week
Teaching Profession Data From 50 States: Teachers' Views of How the Profession Is Seen—And Their Own Career Plans
Most believe the public views teaching negatively, and many say they plan to work in other fields.
Holly Kurtz & Stephen Sawchuk, March 13, 2026
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1 min read
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Gen Z teachers like Katrina Sacurom, a 5th grade teacher in Frisco, Texas, are bringing passion and fresh ideas to the profession—but also want supports and a reasonable work-life balance. Districts leaders, experts say, need to think about how to meet those needs in order to retain them. Sacurom chats with students during recess at Shawnee Trail Elementary School on Feb. 3, 2026.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Generation Z Is Transforming Teaching. Are Districts Ready for Them?
The youngest cohort of teachers have been shaped by technological and educational disruption.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 4, 2026
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16 min read
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.
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Recruitment & Retention Whitepaper What’s Working in Teacher Retention
This paper explores four conditions that influence retention and highlights how one school cultivated them to produce notable shifts in staff reten...
Content provided by Participate Learning
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S., on Thursday, May 28, 2020. The annual Walmart Inc. shareholder celebration attracts a varied crowd who pour money into the hotels, bars and restaurants in and around the retailer's hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. The Covid-19 pandemic forced Walmart to pivot to a virtual gathering on June 3.
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Ark., on May 28, 2020. The superintendent there has found strategies to recruit and retain educators, including child care and affordable housing for staff.
Terra Fondriest/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Recruitment & Retention District Leaders Want to Retain Talent. They Need to Look Beyond Just Compensation
There are steps K-12 leaders can take to keep teachers and principals in the leadership pipeline, administrators say.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 11, 2026
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6 min read
An illustration of a professional female holding the lines that divide the week days of a calendar and removing the first line so that it's knocking the letters MON off the grid.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says Do 4-Day School Weeks Attract and Retain Better Teachers? What the Largest Study Yet Says
Shortened schedules may do less than district leaders hope to improve turnover and teacher quality.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 23, 2026
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3 min read
Wed., January 21, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
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January 21, 2026