Restoring Teacher Aspiration and Retention in Metro Atlanta: Highlights from our Partnership with Learn4Life

At GLISI, we recognize that education is more than just the transmission of knowledge; it’s about nurturing human potential. This shift is crucial in today’s world, where factors like social media, AI, and an aging population demand a fresh perspective on learning and leadership.

RETAIN (Restoring Teacher Aspiration and Innovation) is a groundbreaking partnership between Learn4Life and GLISI (Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement) that specifically nurtures the growth of leaders of learning in schools. RETAIN supports the development of leaders’ social-emotional competencies associated with positive school climates  – schools where teachers prosper and conditions for learning and connection thrive. This first edition had 24 middle school leaders in Fulton, Gwinnett, Marietta City, DeKalb and Atlanta participate in our pilot year of partnership, with support from philanthropic and nonprofit partners.

RETAIN’s change theory is built on the premise that leaders’ social-emotional competencies make a difference for the working conditions that teachers experience, and that working conditions can enable or cripple educator retention. Our theory was informed by data from RAND that not only show the importance of teachers, but the weight that teachers and administrators carry. 

According to RAND, teachers are the highest in-school predictors to a students academic performance; have 2-3x the effect of any other in-school factor on students; and influence longer-term outcomes including graduation, college attendance, and earnings. Teachers also have 73% frequency in job-related stress and 59% burnout and principals are also facing these challenges with 85% frequent job-related stress and 48% burnout. Compare this to the general population of working adults which shows a 35% frequent job-related stress and a 44% burnout, it’s evident that those in the education field need some additional support they are likely not receiving in order to remain in the profession and serve our students. 

Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, participants in the pilot cohort of RETAIN engaged in face-to-face learning convenings, virtual connections and 1-on-1 coaching sessions. The overall purpose of each of these connections was to create nourishing and inspiring teacher working conditions through study, growth and refinement of leaders’ SEL muscle. As individual leaders went through a cycle of noticing, interrupting, experimenting, and integrating new leader moves into their day-to-day practice, our theory was that this would lead to enhanced teacher working conditions and improved teacher retention over time. District leadership also engaged in their own learning community, designed to identify and mitigate barriers in the system to healthy school culture and teacher retention, and were critical in shaping our change theory: 

What did we learn from our pilot year?  As leaders focused on growing their SEL muscle and refining their leadership practice:

1. Teachers experienced a more robust sense of belonging. Throughout the cohort and across districts, participants reported that shifts in their own leader practice led to stronger connections and a sense of belonging for teachers. For example, participants shared that integrating the practice of empathetic listening led to a noticeable shift in teacher connection and investment.

• 1:1 space for feedback dialog with leaders enabled more collaboration over time. As leaders experienced the value of 1:1 connection through RETAIN, they in turn made more space for 1:1 connections with teachers. As they made space for these connections, inviting honest feedback from teachers and opening teachers up to ask for feedback in response, they noted palpable shifts. In a closing reflection a participant shared, “As I worked through a challenge, I received both positive and honest feedback from our teachers. [As I made space for that], I’m noticing our teachers are more collaborative.”
• Trust foundations were cultivated between teachers and leaders. Over the course of the year, participants reported that attending to the antecedents of trust in their own practice resulted in stronger trust foundations between themselves and teachers. Rather than trying to “build trust” with others, the focus on their own practice was key to shifting participants’ relationships with teachers. 

These early indicators of meaningful shifts in working conditions are promising. We saw, in this first cohort, encouraging signals of improved teacher retention and we are continuing to explore the association between what we are learning and our goal of improving teacher retention-both for our pilot cohort and for future cohorts. We are also working to refine and revise our change theory and planned support for RETAIN participants for the 2024-2025 school year to directly impact district leaders – especially principal supervisors – and engage teacher leaders in exercising their SEL muscle. We will continue working with these leaders to closely track teacher absenteeism, climate surveys, and intent to stay.