To say the teaching profession is at a crossroads is an understatement. The growing instability of the educator workforce erodes the everyday health of schools and puts the future of public education at risk.
This moment demands more than stopgaps. The challenges are well known: skyrocketing turnover, declining enrollment in teacher certification programs, and an over-reliance on brand new teachers, many of whom haven’t had the benefit of a comprehensive preparation experience. Churn is the constant, not the exception. But the future is not written. The question is: Will we continue to try to patch holes with shoddy fixes, or will we make proactive, inspired, research-informed commitments to change?
Because change is not optional at this point. We have to do what it takes to stabilize, professionalize, and modernize the teacher workforce — now. We need real solutions that recognize teaching as a career worthy of investment, growth, and respect.
What does true stability look like in practice?
What must schools commit to right now and future forward to create the conditions where teachers can move from endurance to excellence?
How do we reshape the environments where teachers work to support their growth?
How can we prioritize the right supports to accelerate the development of teaching knowledge and skills and paths to teacher leadership? Who needs to be at the table who hasn’t been to design coherent teacher development strategies for a modern workforce? How do we move from isolation and on-your-own to collective and collaborative experiences?
What new models must we create and refine?
How do we move beyond traditional, fragmented support structures? How can we build models where every teacher is mentoring and being mentored, coaching and being coached, as an everyday function of their work?
This is the time to rebuild the profession with intention and innovation. To invest in teacher development models that honor educators as experts. To design schools where stability, growth, and collaboration are not aspirations but the norm.
Anything less is not just a missed opportunity — it is a failure to meet the moment, and our students deserve better.
The impact of educator attrition on teaching quality and student success is well-documented. The challenge is supporting schools to break the talent drain and invest in teacher development with proven retention strategies and professional learning that results in a stable and sustainable high-quality workforce.
Replacing teachers wastes talent and resources
For decades, we’ve been watching almost half of new teachers leave in the first five years on the job. Today, nearly 13% of teaching positions are unfilled or filled by teachers not certified in their teaching assignment. Nationally, while the number of teachers who enter the profession through alternative certification pathways is rising, they are 25% more likely to leave their school, on average. Larger U.S. school districts spend nearly $25,000 to replace each departing teacher.
High turnover fuels a cycle of disruptive instability
Frequent staff changes undermine collaboration, weaken school culture, and hinder effective teaching practice. This constant turnover prevents the establishment of strong, cohesive teams and undermines the overall effectiveness of the teaching workforce.
Turnover weakens leadership pipelines
Research shows that schools with high teacher retention are more likely to develop strong internal leadership, promote from within, and create a more stable, engaged environment. Experienced teachers are future instructional leaders, mentors, and coaches. When they leave, schools lose institutional knowledge and instructional leadership capacity.
Burnout and stress create unsustainable work conditions
When compared with other working adults, about twice as many teachers report experiencing frequent job-related stress, and roughly three times as many teachers report difficulty coping with job-related stress. Unsustainable workloads and emotional exhaustion drive disengagement and weaken school climates.
Career ceilings prompt teachers to seek alternatives
Stagnant career pathways and a lack of professional growth opportunities contribute to teacher turnover. Most Gen Z professionals (65%) consider career advancement and continuous learning the most important factors in their jobs. We know when teachers can’t envision future prospects, they leave.
Working in isolation versus in collaboration and community
We see firsthand how new teachers that “feel alone” seriously lowers teacher morale and increases the likelihood of early departure from the profession. Without strong workplace collaboration, teachers miss crucial opportunities for professional growth, emotional support, and improving classroom practice.
Poor professional learning hinders growth and effectiveness
The majority of teachers are not highly satisfied with their professional learning experiences and this school organizational characteristic strongly influences teacher turnover. Low-dose, one-size-fits-all professional learning fails to meet teachers’ unique needs and limits student achievement.
Public perception of teaching is in decline
Most teachers today wouldn’t recommend the profession to their children. Polling shows seven out of 10 teachers believe the public holds a negative view of their profession. Consequently, enrollment in teacher preparation programs is in decline, exacerbating teacher shortages.
Mobilizing resources, applying research-backed solutions, and creating conditions where teachers don’t just remain — they excel. When we invest in teachers’ growth and well-being, we unlock students’ full potential.
We also know good things can happen when educators stay. Relationships deepen, momentum builds, and real change takes root. When teachers remain, entire school communities unlock their fullest potential.
Fifteen of the recent teacher experience studies examining the effects of experience after seven or more years in the classroom and applying teacher fixed-effects analyses found a positive and statistically significant relationship between teachers’ experience and their students’ outcomes.
One study found that a one standard deviation increase in a teacher’s effectiveness, as measured by value-added models, is associated with a one percent increase in students’ future earnings by age 28.
Research indicates that teachers’ perceptions of school climate, including professional relationships and support structures, significantly influence their decision to stay in their current positions.
Reducing the negative impacts on student learning from teacher turnover, especially mid-year, could have significant gains for the economy. For instance, one calculation determined that improving student scores by 0.25 standard deviations would increase the GDP by $44 trillion.
A stable teaching workforce fosters trust, collaboration, and professional growth — all of which contribute to more positive school culture, improved instruction, and better student engagement.
We see a new sense of hope and excitement around our work and empowerment at every level. The best way to support teachers is to have credible peers supporting them.
