Imagine these scenarios:

• A paraprofessional in your Grow Your Own (GYO) program wants to earn her teaching credential but struggles to juggle full-time work while preparing for a second attempt at the certification exam.
• Within inadequate support, a few of your provisionally certified teachers are already intimating they aren’t going to stay.
• In a rural district, the number of new teachers grows from one to a dozen at a school with just 20 staff members. Some have emergency licenses, while others bring international experience but require support in adapting.
• After a summer curriculum institute, new teachers feel more overwhelmed than empowered.
• A teacher with seven years of experience is surrounded by novices and craves meaningful opportunities to collaborate, learn, and advance, without leaving the classroom.

As these snapshots reflect, district and school leaders are navigating increasingly complex workforce realities increasing the risks of teacher turnover. Without tailored, intentional mentoring and support, too many new teachers will feel underprepared, isolated, and ultimately pushed out. Their more experienced peers, meanwhile, often lack meaningful opportunities for growth and leadership. Fractured approaches to teacher development leave educator success to chance.

Beyond the financial losses associated with recruitment and training, the costs of losing teachers are steep. School communities are destabilized and forced into a perpetual state of “survival mode.” And it’s students, ultimately, who pay the price.

It’s About Working Conditions—Not Just Pay

We know why teachers leave. The real question is: why haven’t we acted decisively to keep them? Competitive salaries matter but aren’t enough. Teachers want — and research confirms — teachers will stay if they have:

• Skilled mentoring and coaching
• A welcoming, trusting community of colleagues
• High-quality career development and mobility
• Opportunities for autonomy paired with meaningful collaboration
• Supportive, effective leadership

These are essentials. Schools must be intentionally designed and resources organized to attract, retain, and develop educators at every stage of their careers.

Three Fundamental Shifts We Must Make

1. Move from reactive to proactive — use the right data early.

Too often, districts react after teachers leave. We must invest in early, data-driven supports. Despite emphasis on “data-driven decision-making,” many don’t collect key info about who their teachers are, what they need, or why some leave.

With robust data on teacher preparation and workplace experiences, schools can tailor mentoring and induction to their needs. Personalized early-career support guides teachers through their first years, reducing costly turnover and fostering success.

2. Transform schools into professional communities.

How can teachers thrive in isolation? Collaboration must be more than compliance-driven meetings. Teachers want and benefit from authentic collaboration.

We owe it to teachers to revamp professional learning communities (PLCs), grade-level teams, and peer coaching. Well-facilitated teams nurture shared problem-solving, camaraderie, and collective efficacy. And it’s especially vital that new teachers feel welcomed and embraced by the whole school community.

3. Rethink the teaching role — move beyond the isolated classroom.

The one-teacher, one-classroom model is evolving. Innovative team-teaching and staffing models, like those from ASU’s Next Education Workforce and Public Impact, tap educator strengths and foster peer mentoring.

Research shows site-based collaboration enhances new teacher induction and retention. Embedding mentoring in teams provides novices with multiple role models and leadership opportunities while all teachers grow their coaching skills.

Four Key Commitments to Modernize Teacher Development

Invest in data-driven, differentiated teacher development.

Better data is required to respond effectively to retention risks. More clarity about new teacher needs enables tailored mentoring and supports that anticipates challenges.

Practice “whole-school” induction that builds community and shared responsibility.

Induction is a collective mission, not an orientation checklist. Structured support systems must connect novices to peers, mentors, and leaders who share responsibility for their growth — support that is meaningful and ongoing. This combats isolation and fosters belonging from day one.

Unlock the power of professional learning communities.

Well-facilitated PLCs foster continuous learning, instructional improvement, and teacher leadership. Teacher-led, teacher-empowered teams build resilience and renewal, collective efficacy, and well-being.

Embrace mentoring-oriented strategic staffing.

Mentoring must be central to staffing models. Trained mentors provide embedded guidance in planning, instruction, and reflection. When all teachers engage in mentoring, school culture strengthens and instruction improves.

The Time to Act Is Now

Teacher turnover has been an unaddressed crisis for too long. Our teachers deserve workplaces that nurture their potential and honor their dedication. And our students deserve the best educators we can develop.

Solutions rooted in evidence, refined by practice, and driven by commitment are within reach. It’s time to stop hoping good teachers will stay — and start building schools where they want to build meaningful careers. Schools can become places where teachers stay, grow, and lead.