Why the First 5 Years Matter: How Leaders Can Support New Teacher Retention
| by Dr. Robin Harwick
For someone outside the profession, it might be surprising that 44 percent of teachers nationwide quit within their first 5 years.
But for teachers who have lived through it, they have no trouble explaining the stat: Lack of support from parents, administrators, and community members; poor student behavior; increasing workload; high expectations; low pay…
“Honestly, pick any reason,” wrote one commenter on a Reddit thread about teachers leaving the profession.
Retention in the first 5 years is an ongoing challenge, but it also presents an opportunity for school leaders, because if we can better support teachers during those early years, we can improve retention and teacher satisfaction. The end result will be more qualified teachers supporting students, and better outcomes for students, schools, families, and communities.
Why Are the First 5 Years So Challenging for Teachers?
When you look at everything new teachers face, it’s really no surprise the first few years are an extra challenge:
Everything is new. There’s no warmup period for a new teacher. Students arrive on the first day of school, and teachers have to lead, whether or not they feel ready.
Confidence is low. Even the most prepared new teachers often struggle with imposter syndrome. They’ll second-guess decisions, compare themselves (unfairly) to their veteran colleagues, and worry constantly about whether they’re doing enough.
Teaching is hard! The day-to-day realities of teaching demand a complex skill set that takes years to develop. New teachers must simultaneously master classroom management, lesson planning, parent and family communication, grading and feedback, time management, and much, much, more. Each of these areas alone would be challenging; together, they can feel overwhelming.
What Can School Leaders Do to Support New Teachers?
Once teachers get through those first few years, they’re often able to settle into a routine. They feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom, and challenges that would have rocked them as a rookie are now just small blips.
But how can school leaders help teachers reach that point?
Offer Encouragement, Grace, and Tactical Support
Help new teachers understand that perfection is a myth. Even veteran teachers make mistakes, and the goal isn’t to avoid all errors but to learn from them. When leaders normalize the learning process, new teachers feel permission to grow instead of pressure to be flawless.
School leaders also need to be thoughtful about how and when to offer support. Teacher plates are full, and new teachers often have additional tasks and requirements. For example, mentorship programs are wonderful, but they require significant time and effort. So, if school leaders offer mentorship but don’t clear dedicated time for it — if it eats up a teacher’s planning period, for example, or requires “homework” late at night — it can quickly become an additional frustration instead of a support.
The key is to find a balance. Lean in where teachers truly need help, offer guidance, resources, and training. But also learn when to step back and give new teachers time and space to adjust.
Help Teachers Prioritize
New teachers sometimes fall into the trap of saying yes to everything. They volunteer for committees, chaperone events, and take on extra responsibilities because they want to prove themselves or because they don’t realize it’s okay to decline.
School leaders can coach new teachers on how to evaluate opportunities and make strategic choices about where to invest their time and energy. Sometimes the most supportive thing a leader can do is give a new teacher permission to say no.
Provide Resources for Common Struggles
Every teacher is different, but there are still common challenges new teachers tend to face. As a school leader, you can offer proactive resources in these areas. If a teacher doesn’t need them, great! But if they do, the resources are ready and waiting.
Here are a few free resources to help you get started:
- Classroom management: New teachers often struggle to establish routines and address behavioral issues. This Moreland University webinar covers tested strategies for more effective classroom management.
- Lesson planning: What’s the right pacing? How detailed should each lesson plan be? What if we don’t make it through the entire lesson? These are all challenges new teachers face when they’re trying to design engaging, effective lessons that cover the curriculum. This infographic has 6 tips for stronger lesson plans, and this blog post can help your teachers decide where to start and what to prioritize.
- Parent communication: Communicating with families can feel scary or awkward as a new teacher, but it’s an essential skill and a powerful tool. This blog post can help your teachers navigate family communication and figure out what to say, when to say it, and how to keep messages clear, positive, and supportive.
- Teacher confidence: Self-doubt can get in the way of a healthy teaching career. But this webinar is designed to help teachers build confidence through mentorship, professional growth, and community.
- Time management: This is a big one because new teachers are learning so much at once. Instruction, grading, planning, meetings, professional development — how do they fit it all in while prioritizing their own mental health? This blog post can help your teachers find a good work/life balance (without losing sleep). And as a school leader, you can help your new teachers prioritize what needs to be done first, and what is OK to put off for a few days or weeks.
Support Career Growth
When teachers can see a clear path for growth and feel supported in pursuing it, they’re far more likely to stay in your district and in the profession. But professional growth requires intentional support from school leaders.
For your teachers who have a temporary or provisional license, support them as they work toward their professional certification. Help them choose a quality teacher preparation program and offer guidance and resources as they prepare for their certification exams.
From there, you can support teachers who want to earn additional certifications or master’s degrees; provide meaningful mentorship, thinking specifically about each teacher’s long-term career goals; and offer ongoing, high-quality professional development that helps teachers grow their expertise and improve in areas where they’re struggling.
If you have the budget, you could even offer scholarships or stipends to teachers as they grow their careers. Even a small scholarship could make a big difference as it shows teachers you believe in them and are committed to their growth and development.
Here’s the basic test for whether your new-teacher supports are working: When teachers reach the end of year 5, they should be able to look back and see a clear difference from when they started. They should feel confident, proud of what they’ve accomplished, and excited for what’s next.
As a school leader, you can feel proud, too. You spend a lot of time and energy investing in and supporting new teachers, but every resource you provide, every conversation you have, and every system you build to support early-career teachers strengthens your entire school community. Your investment will pay dividends for years to come.
Districts are facing historic workforce challenges: fewer teachers entering the pipeline, high turnover among early-career staff, and hundreds of thousands of classrooms filled by uncertified teachers. At the same time, student outcomes in core subjects are at historic lows.
Moreland University’s new Educator Development Program was created to help districts put certified, supported teachers in front of students. The EDP combines accelerated certification, ongoing mentorship, professional development, and dedicated support to help districts retain and develop outstanding teachers from day one.
Click here to learn more and find out if your district is a good fit for the EDP. Or, book a brief meeting with our team. We’d love to connect.
