Teacher Retention Programs

CPD as Retention Strategy — The Missing Link Staff don’t just leave for better pay — they leave for better futures. CPD can give them one. What the research says: 📊 The OECD’s Starting Strong data shows a strong link between career development opportunities and educator retention. 📊 In New Zealand, the Motu study found higher retention rates in settings offering funded CPD pathways — especially when linked to recognised qualifications and specialist roles. International examples that work: 🌍 New Zealand — Equity Funding supports providers to employ more qualified educators and offer CPD tied to career progression. Settings with these supports see significantly lower turnover. 🌍 Norway — A national career framework for early years educators includes specialist and leadership pathways, backed by funding and formal recognition, making “the next step” visible and attainable. England’s gap: ⚠️ No universal, funded CPD ladders tied to advancement. ⚠️ For too many educators, the only way up is out — either leaving the sector or moving into management roles they may not want. Retention isn’t just about today’s pay — it’s about tomorrow’s prospects. When educators see a future for themselves within early years, they’re far more likely to stay. So, once again let’s treat CPD not as an occasional perk, but as a core retention tool — showing every educator their next step, and making it worth taking. #EarlyYears #ECEC #CPD #Retention #WorkforceDevelopment #CareerPathways

Can Monetary Incentives Keep Teachers in Challenging Schools? Evidence from São Paulo’s Bold Reform São Paulo’s public schools faced a critical issue: high teacher turnover (averaging 10%, up to 30% in some schools), disproportionately affecting disadvantaged areas. With standardized wages, schools in tougher neighborhoods struggled to retain educators—hurting student learning. In 2022, policymakers tested a solution: a “Job Bonus” program offering 5-25% wage premiums based on a school’s historical turnover rates. The goal? Incentivize teachers to stay—and attract new talent to high-need schools. The results? ✅ 18% drop in overall turnover (30% in high-incentive schools) ✅ 6 more first-choice applications per high-incentive school ✅ Student test scores rose by 0.3-0.6 standard deviations in those schools The takeaway?  Targeted monetary incentives work—especially when meaningful (15%+ premiums). They make challenging schools more desirable, improving retention and outcomes. A powerful lesson for education systems worldwide. 🔗 Full paper: https://lnkd.in/e2T_U7Gz 🎧 Prefer audio? [Spotify] https://lnkd.in/d_v3kEi7 Gregory Elacqua ; Mateus Rodrigues; Leonardo Rosa #EducationPolicy #TeacherRetention #EdTech #SocialImpact

There is a teacher shortage. The more your school waters down the profession, the worse it will get for your system. What does watering down look like? - Paying teachers on an emergency permit the same as licensed faculty members - Ignoring master’s degrees, ed specialist, and terminal degrees (Ed.D or PhD) in your compensation structures - Lowering the bar of excellence for who has the honor of teaching your students It feels so counter-intuitive that holding the line can stem the tide of teachers quitting. I get it, it is worse to start the year with no one in the classroom. However, solving that challenge short-term with short cuts has long-term ripple effects that compound over time. What can you do short term if you’re an emergency? - Hire on an emergency permit on a specific salary scale with a financial incentive to immediately enroll in an EPP - Have an onboarding plan and retention plan in addition to your recruitment plan (go see Brandi Nicole Chin, PhD) - Have real mentorship and partnership programs for your best teachers to support your new teachers What can you do long term? - Build MULTIPLE pipelines for teaching candidates - Find your value proposition to the strongest teachers. Then, shape your policies and practices to make your systems work for the best of the best - Teachers talk. Take care of your current teachers. If people hear you are a great place to work, more great teachers will come

🪙 Faculty Retention: The Real Key to Solving Dental Faculty Shortages I’ve heard it countless times—leaders proudly announcing how many new faculty members they’ve hired, how many stars they’ve recruited, and how great their new team is going to be. But here’s the truth: 🎯 Recruitment without retention is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. No matter how many talented people you bring in, even a small leak—one departure at a time—can drain your entire effort. And soon enough, you find yourself running in place, trying to fill a bucket that never stays full. In academic dentistry, faculty shortage is not just a pipeline problem. It’s a retention problem. Some schools have figured it out. Look closely and you’ll see which dental institutions have held onto their faculty—some for decades. They’ve built a culture of belonging, trust, and shared purpose. But it’s not easy, especially for newer dental schools. Startups face enormous pressure—clinical loads, accreditation demands, administrative gaps—and often lean too heavily on hiring to solve problems that are really cultural and structural. So what works? 🔹 Build a culture of care. Create an environment where people are not just employees, but valued colleagues. 🔹 Support faculty development. Invest in growth, research, leadership training, sabbaticals, and innovation. 🔹 Clarify purpose. Faculty don’t just want a job. They want a calling—an opportunity to make a difference in students’ lives, in patient care, and in the advancement of our profession. 🔹 Recognize and celebrate contributions. The small, consistent signs of appreciation matter just as much as the big ones. 💡 Pearls for retention: • Transparent communication and shared decision-making • Protected time for scholarly work and mentorship • Clear, achievable expectations • Work-life integration, not just balance • Collegiality, not hierarchy We cannot grow our institutions on hiring alone. We grow them by keeping great people—and giving them the reasons to stay. Because in the end, it’s not just about recruitment. It’s about commitment. #FacultyRetention #DentalEducation #Leadership #AcademicCulture #FacultyDevelopment #RetentionMatters #HigherEd #HealthcareWorkforce #DentalSchools #TeamCulture #SustainableGrowth

Dear colleagues, Teacher turnover is a major challenge for schools globally, particularly affecting disadvantaged students in urban areas. In the City of São Paulo, schools in favelas and peripheral communities have historically struggled with high rates of teacher attrition (averaging 10% annually, with some schools experiencing rates as high as 30%) , disrupting educational continuity and student learning. Our new paper "Impact of Monetary Incentives on Teacher Decisions to Leave and Choose Schools: Evidence from a Policy Reform in Sao Paulo" analyzes how wage premiums affect teacher retention in one of Latin America's largest school districts. Working with Leonardo Rosa and Mateus Rodrigues, and supported by João Cossi who secured crucial data access and policy dialogue and Danielle Nascimento, we examined a reform offering 5-25% wage premiums based on schools' historical turnover rates. The study found that offering wage premiums of 5-25% significantly reduced teacher turnover, with notable results: • Overall teacher turnover decreased by 18% • Schools offering higher incentives (20-25% wage premium) saw a 30% reduction in turnover • Higher incentives also improved student test scores by 0.3-0.6 standard deviations • Schools became more attractive to new teachers, expanding the talent pool The findings provide clear evidence that well-designed monetary incentives can help retain teachers in hard-to-staff schools while improving educational outcomes. Read the full IDB working paper here: https://lnkd.in/dmFtDcfr

Mid-career teachers are the engine room of every school. They hold deep classroom experience, shape team culture, and carry much of the day-to-day responsibility for delivering great teaching. But too often, professional development pathways sharply narrow after the Early Career Framework, unless a colleague wants to pursue formal leadership. That’s why I've created the Mid-Career Teacher Development Framework: a simple, practical structure to help schools offer purposeful, motivating development for colleagues beyond ECF but not on leadership routes. Here’s a snapshot of what it includes: 🔹 Deepening subject & pedagogical expertise: Keeping practice fresh through inquiry projects, curriculum design and subject networks. 🔹 Coaching & mentoring: Building professional capital by supporting ECTs, trainees and peers. 🔹 Research & inquiry pathways: From practitioner research to MA/Chartered Teacher programmes - developing evidence-informed practice. 🔹 Influence without hierarchy: Progression routes that recognise excellence without requiring formal leadership roles. 🔹 Broader contributions: Cross-curricular initiatives, enrichment, community projects and trust-wide collaboration. 🔹 Voice, autonomy & recognition: Giving mid-career teachers real influence, protected time, and meaningful celebration of their impact. If we want to retain great teachers, not just recruit them, we must offer development that feels energising and is tailored to the individual's strengths and improvement areas. 👉 Download the full framework and other relevant resources here: https://lnkd.in/ewYHi6tT #TeacherDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #MidCareerTeachers #TeacherRetention #SchoolLeadership

#putasideyourbias For the longest time in education, we’ve done something slightly backwards. We read the research, identify “what works,” and then try to get teachers to do it. We assume the pedagogy needs to change. We assume teachers need more motivation. We assume we know what the problem is. But very rarely do we stop, walk into a classroom, ask, and listen without bias. A moment from my personal life made this painfully clear. A few months ago, I took my sister on vacation. I had planned everything, sightseeing, activities, experiences. But all she wanted was a stable internet connection. I got frustrated… until someone quietly said: “That’s what she values. Put your bias aside.” And that line hasn’t left my mind. People value different things. Teachers value different things. And our job isn’t to impose our preferences. It’s to understand theirs. This became the starting point of a major shift at Taleemabad. We created Forward Deployment Teams whose only job is to sit with teachers and ask, “What do you want? What’s painful? What would make teaching easier?” No judgement. No pre-determined solutions. Just listening and building. And the results surprised us: Teachers asked for a safe community, so we built one. Today, 40% of teachers stay active weekly, sharing videos, asking questions, and supporting each other. Principals wanted visibility, so we created a simple, clean dashboard. Retention jumped to 65% within weeks. Teachers felt overwhelmed by exam checking, so we built a tool to automate the most painful parts, saving hours of effort. And teachers wanted someone to “be with them” in the classroom, so we built a judgment-free digital coach who supports, critiques, debates, and guides. None of these ideas were in our original theory of change. They all came from one philosophical decision: Put aside your bias. Ask what people value. Then build for that, not for your assumptions. In many ways, this thinking mirrors what the The Agency Fund talks about so powerfully: agency as a design principle, not a slogan. The idea that dignity, choice, and user-driven design aren’t “nice to have”, they are the only sustainable path to change. We’re still early in this journey, but one thing is clear: When teachers choose the tools, the tools actually get used. If you’re working at the intersection of education, agency, and technology, I’d love to swap notes. This shift has reshaped our entire approach to formal deployment.

46% of top international educators are eyeing the exit door. Why? These 7 brutal truths reveal what’s pushing your best out. ...and how you can turn it around. 𝟭. 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 Problem: Excessive hours lead to burnout and exhaustion. Solution: Implement workload management strategies, such as hiring additional support staff, streamlining administrative tasks, and enforcing work-hour limits. 𝟮. 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Problem: Salaries fail to reflect teachers' qualifications and inflation erodes earnings. Solution: Advocate for competitive pay scales tied to inflation and reward performance with bonuses or incentives. 𝟯. 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Problem: Insufficient support staff and materials hinder effective teaching. Solution: Increase funding for schools to hire aides, provide adequate teaching materials, and prioritise professional development for educators. 𝟰. 𝗗𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Problem: Teachers feel undervalued by society, parents, and administrators. Solution: Launch campaigns to celebrate teaching achievements, promote the profession's importance, and create awards or incentives recognising teacher excellence. 𝟱. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 Problem: Difficult student behaviour and strained parent relationships add stress. Solution: Provide training in classroom management and conflict resolution, alongside greater support from administrators. 𝟲. 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Problem: Lack of advancement opportunities discourages retention. Solution: Create pathways for progression within teaching roles, such as specialist positions or mentorship opportunities, without requiring a move into leadership. 𝟳. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀 Problem: Long hours make it hard to balance personal and professional lives. Solution: Offer flexible schedules, mental health resources, and initiatives supporting work-life balance, like wellness days or remote working options. 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Governments and education stakeholders must treat these issues as a crisis requiring urgent reforms. By addressing these challenges comprehensively, the sector can retain top talent and ensure high-quality education for future generations.

One of my absolute favorite highlights this year: Watching an entire network of 5 schools improve by double digits in math and ELA AND have their highest teacher retention to date. They didn't do anything revolutionary. In fact, it was remarkably simple. We made sure that everyone had a coach. That coach was trained to both care about the teachers they led as people and care a ton about how much their students improved. We made sure that every week, there was high-quality professional development. Leaders modeled. Teachers practiced. People were celebrated. We spent a lot of time defining what excellent intellectual prep needed to look like. Leaders wrote exemplar prep as leaders. Leaders shared that with teachers. Leaders gave feedback weekly on intellectual prep so teachers knew what they needed to do to improve. They celebrated those teachers when they hit the mark. We made sure every leader got coached. Leadership team meetings were engaging, purposeful, and practice-based. Leaders worked on things they could do the very next day with teachers. We modeled for them. We gave them resources we've developed over the last 15 years so they didn't have to plan anything from scratch. And then we rolled up our sleeves and got into the work with them, coaching in the field right alongside them. What we didn't do: Have some grand plan for how we'd retain teachers and leaders. I'm convinced more than ever that the best teacher and leader retention plan is actually making sure people feel successful and supported in their roles. Take care of that and the rest takes care of itself.