5 Ways to Set Your Teachers Up for Success Before the School Year Starts
Published: | by Erin Martin
Summer gives teachers something that’s often in short supply during the school year: space to think. Some use that time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what they want the next year to look like. Others are already planning lessons, reorganizing materials, or preparing for new responsibilities.
That’s why summer presents the perfect opportunity for school leaders to help teachers start the school year feeling prepared rather than overwhelmed. In other words, what happens before the first day shapes how teachers enter it.
Here are five ways to help set your teachers up for success before the school year starts.
1. Provide Answers Before Questions Pile Up
Many teachers return to school carrying a mental list of unanswered questions: Has the curriculum changed? What initiatives should take precedence? What expectations are different from last year?
These are common questions that have answers. But that isn’t the issue. The issue is that when various answers arrive through scattered emails, hallway conversations, and meetings, teachers are left to try to piece together the bigger picture.
That uncertainty creates extra work and stress. Instead of focusing on students and classroom preparation, teachers spend valuable time tracking down information and determining what matters most. That is why the priority should be clarity before the year begins.
What can school leaders do? You can create a clear back-to-school communication plan. Whether it’s a district guide, a leadership video, FAQs, or a focused kickoff meeting, the goal is simple: Provide enough clarity that teachers can move forward with confidence. You already know the most common questions teachers have each year. So don’t wait until you’re asked. Save everyone time by anticipating what they may need and providing answers early, not on the first day.
2. Protect Preparation Time Because It Shapes the Entire Year
Walk through a school building a week before students arrive, and you’ll find teachers doing work that never appears on a district calendar, like:
- Reviewing student data
- Setting up classrooms
- Revising lessons
- Organizing materials
- Planning routines that will help students succeed from the first day forward
Summer preparation days influence how smoothly the first month of school goes, but even in the summer, educators’ days fill up quickly with professional development sessions, compliance trainings, orientations, and administrative meetings. All of these serve an important purpose, but when they don’t allow time to prepare classrooms, teachers are left to find evenings and weekends to get it done. That can burn them out before the year even starts. Protecting preparation time starts with noticing where it disappears.
Look for Time Traps
One of the simplest ways to support teachers is to examine how their time is being used. You can assess whether:
- Information can be shared asynchronously
- There are duplicate meetings covering the same topics
- Every training requires face-to-face attendance
Making small adjustments early on can create meaningful blocks of preparation time without sacrificing important information for your teachers.
Protect What Only Teachers Can Do
Building classroom routines, planning instruction, organizing learning materials, and reviewing student needs all require uninterrupted time to think and prepare. Moreland University’s Preventing Teacher Burnout Guide for School Leaders says one of the most effective ways to reduce burnout isn’t adding another wellness initiative. It’s removing unnecessary friction and giving teachers the time they need to do their jobs well.
Teachers notice when leaders protect their time. They also notice when preparation is treated as something that can happen later.
3. Make Onboarding About Belonging, Not Paperwork
As a leader, remember you once started in their shoes. While you may not remember every orientation, presentation, or policy review, you probably do remember the people who helped you navigate those early weeks — the colleague who answered questions, the mentor who checked in, or the team member who helped you feel like you belonged.
Those important moments matter just as much for today’s teachers.
Connection Before Orientation
You don’t have to wait for the school year to begin to develop relationships. Introducing new hires to department teams, connecting them with mentors, and creating informal opportunities to meet colleagues can help educators feel part of the community before they ever step into their classrooms.
Those early interactions often become the foundation for future collaboration.
Support Beyond the First Week
A strong orientation can make a positive first impression, but you need to sustain that support beyond the first week.
In the article, Why the First Five Years Matter: How Leaders Can Support New Teacher Retention, Dr. Robin Harwick, founder and director of The Pearl Remote Democratic High School and adjunct professor at Moreland University, says ongoing support often plays a larger role in retention than any single onboarding event. Regular check-ins, mentorship, coaching, and opportunities to ask questions help teachers build confidence as the year progresses.
4. Focus Professional Learning on Actionable Items
Professional development during the summer is important, but it can also focus on the wrong things. A course trying to prepare a new teacher for everything they might encounter during the year, for example, could result in a long list of initiatives, priorities, and information delivered in a very short period. This could easily feel overwhelming instead of helpful.
Instead, make sure professional development is focused on actual concerns — classroom routines, student engagement, grading, lesson planning, and family communication. These are realities teachers will face during the first few weeks of school, and where they can use practical guidance and development.
When teachers leave professional learning with ideas they can implement right away, they’re more likely to view it as support rather than another requirement. That connection can keep them engaged and seeing long-term value in staying in your district.
5. Show Teachers a Future Beyond This School Year
It’s important to be clear about growth opportunities because teachers are more likely to stay when they can see what’s next.
Notice how retention conversations usually focus on workload, burnout, and compensation. But don’t forget to include professional growth during your chats. Growth plays an important role in your retention strategy because educators want to know they are continuing to learn, develop, and move forward in their careers.
Growth Looks Different for Every Teacher
For some educators, growth could mean earning certification or pursuing an advanced degree. For others, it may mean instructional coaching, mentorship opportunities, leadership pathways, or specialized professional learning. What matters is that they can see a path forward.
Moreland University professor Dr. Al Lewis wrote about this topic in his article, How to Retain Great Teachers Through Career Growth. He explains how growth opportunities communicate something important to educators: They’re valued not only for what they contribute today, but also for what they can become tomorrow.
Get Proactive Before the School Year Starts
The weeks leading up to the new school year offer a different opportunity for school leaders. They give you the chance to create the conditions that help teachers feel prepared, connected, and supported before the pressures of the year begin.
Teachers remember whether expectations were clear. They remember whether they had time to prepare. They remember whether someone helped them feel connected and whether their growth mattered.
Need Help Supporting Your Teachers this Summer?
No worries, Moreland University has you covered. This summer, you can share our free Gift of Time Back for Teachers toolkit with your educators. It includes more than a dozen resources — guides, articles, infographics, and workbooks — that can help them put a plan together now to save time before the new school year begins.
