Research School Network: Turning the Tide on the Teacher Retention Crisis How school leaders can change just one thing to make all the difference, especially in our most deprived communities

This blog refers to the EEF’s Rapid Evidence Assessment on Leadership Approaches

We are all aware of the headlines, 1/3 of teachers leave the profession within 5 years and over 40% within 10 years (www.epi.org.uk (2023)). This challenge is most acutely felt in schools who serve the most deprived communities where higher turnover of staff is also compounded by fewer applications for potential replacements (Allen et al. 2016). As school leaders it can feel quite overwhelming. Where do we even begin? Making time to support and nurture wellbeing is a great start. However, in a recent Evidence Review by Nguyen et al. (2023) it’s become clearer that simple tweaks and changes can have a measurable impact on staff retention.

3 Proven Strategies

Prioritising Teacher Development

Building Relational Trust

Improving Working Conditions

To follow the suggestion of the late Michael Mosely, we could focus on ​‘Just one thing’ and it’s striking the gains we could achieve by refining our approach to ​‘Prioritising Professional Development’.

What to Focus On

The Nguyen Report found 3 key areas of Prioritising Professional Development that were most likely to support teacher retention.

Firstly, Nguyen highlights the importance of ​‘cultivating leadership potential in teachers’.

At its heart, this wasn’t about creating convoluted leadership structures or signposting the latest free NPQs, instead, a review of studies involving over 125,000 teachers in 44 countries found that ​‘authentic participation in the decision making process’ had a really positive impact on reported job satisfaction. This is further supported by Boyd et al (2011) who suggested ​‘involving teachers in making decisions’ as a key characteristic of effective school leadership for retaining teachers.

Secondly, Nguyen’s report advocated for the value of ​‘prioritising instructional support’.

I’d personally argue this is all down to culture. Nguyen found ​‘classroom observation and offering constructive feedback on classroom and instruction [had a positive impact on] teacher’s sense of professional growth’ which in turn was found to improve teacher retention.

All schools do this right? How often do your teachers come away from feedback on their approach to instruction feeling that the conversation was positive, constructive and collaborative? If I’m 100% honest I’m not sure my staff would say we get it right every time. I’ve found Vivienne Robinson’s work on being Open to Learning Conversations (extract below) helps.

Thirdly, and simply, Nguyen states that ​‘providing opportunities for and removing barriers to [effective] professional development’ supports both ​‘teacher’s wellbeing and job satisfaction’.

Don’t throw out that NPQ leaflet just yet! From a great ECT program to specific subject or leadership focussed CPD. Creating a workforce that feel supported and encouraged when being experimental or innovative can contribute to enhanced professional wellbeing, resilience and retention ( Peters and Pearce (2012), Lazcano et al (2022)).

For me, so much of what Nguyen is celebrating as great practice that supports teacher retention can be linked to the EEF’s ​‘Effective Professional Development’ Guidance Report.

The ​‘Mechanisms of PD’ are a really simple framework for Leaders to review the quality of Professional Development they plan to implement. The document really simply breaks it down, from developing teacher techniques to embedding practice and motivating teachers.

I found Mark Miller’s perspective (Bradford Research School) really helpful when reviewing how effectively we are balancing our PD approach. Like many schools, we aim to always have clear, agreed goals. But when supporting leaders with their implementation we encourage them to be mindful that in isolation, this isn’t sufficient for sustained behaviour change. There is always a risk of being derailed, overextending or just running out of steam. I like how Mark balanced the motivational techniques with strategies that support embedding practice to ensure longer term, sustainable improvements. Click the link below to read his blog in full.

In the midst of depressing statistics and harrowing headlines. I feel positive and excited that the tools are there to support leaders to prioritise professional development that not only effectively improve outcomes for all pupils, including the most disadvantaged but might also be at the heart of keeping great teachers teaching.

Want to read more…?

Why not read Nguyen’s full report here (page 13 is a great point to start).

You can read the EEF Effective Professional Development Guide and Mechanisms of PD poster here.

You can also access Vivienne Robinson’s ​‘Open to Learning’ paper here

Mark Miller’s Blog on Effective Professional Development

References

Allen, R., Mian, E., and Sims, S. (2016) Social inequalities in access to teachers. Social Market Foundation. Available at: https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/social-inequalities-in-access-to-teachers/

Nguyen, D., Huat See, B., Brown, C., and Kokotsaki, D. (2023) Reviewing the evidence base on school leadership, culture, climate and structure for teacher retention. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/leadership-approaches

Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Ing, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., and Wyckoff, J. (2011) ​‘The influence of school administrators on teacher retention decisions’, American Educational Research Journal, 48(2), pp. 303 – 333. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831210380788

Peters, J., and Pearce, J. (2012) ​‘Relationships and early career teacher resilience: A role for school principals’, Teachers and Teaching. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2012.632266

Lazcano, C., Guerrero, P., and Volante, P. (2022) ​‘Influence of instructional leadership on teacher retention’, International Journal of Leadership in Education. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2066187

Robinson, V. (2009) Open-to-learning Conversations: Background Paper. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267411000_Open-to-learning_Conversations_Background_Paper_Introduction_to_Open-to-learning_Conversations

Miller, M. (2023) Connecting the Cogs of Effective Professional Development; How the mechanisms from the EEF’s Effective Professional Development guidance report work together. Available at: https://researchschool.org.uk/bradford/news/connecting-the-cogs-of-effective-professional-development

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2021) Effective Professional Development Guidance Report. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/effective-professional-development

https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/six-charts-that-explain-the-state-of-the-teaching-workforce-in-england/

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