The Impact of Teacher Morale on Retention

A recent EdWeek article reported on a survey of 17,000 high school teachers that showed the top two factors affecting teachers leaving the profession were poor morale and administrator support.

The survey, conducted by the College Board, aligned with other surveys on the topic. The College Board study asked teachers about the mental health of their colleagues. Sixty-five percent rated the mental health of their fellow teachers as “poor” or “fair.” Additionally, the analysis showed that teachers who perceived better mental health among their fellow teachers were more likely to report higher job satisfaction.

Schools can work to make incremental improvements to improve teacher morale. Suggestions from the article include:

• Working to improve teacher/administrator relationships
• Offering opportunities to teach advanced classes to more teachers
• Improving pay

Although there isn’t a singular answer, taking small steps to improve teacher job satisfaction may yield big results. HR Services provides a number of resources on the topic, including:

• Webinar: Improving Employee Retention (member login required)
• Measuring Teacher Morale
• Providing Recognition Teachers Value Most
• Motivating Employees to Stay Engaged
• Increasing Employee Engagement
• Rethinking How We Reward Teachers

For more information, check out the Ed Week article New Findings on Teacher Morale Highlight Ways to Make it Better.