How Can Administrators Better Support and Engage Teachers?

Great schools start with great teachers, but teacher retention and engagement remain urgent challenges. Burnout, workload, and lack of support are driving educators to reconsider their future in the profession. Administrators have a unique opportunity to change that narrative with practical, actionable strategies that make teachers feel valued, empowered, and effective.

Why It Matters: Retention and Burnout

Burnout isn’t just a buzzword, it’s one of the top reasons teachers leave the classroom. When teachers feel unsupported, overwhelmed, or unheard, they’re more likely to disengage or exit entirely. Addressing this isn’t about empty gestures; it’s about building systems that make teaching sustainable and rewarding.

What Do Teachers Actually Appreciate?

Support looks different for every teacher, but several themes come up consistently:

• Listening to feedback and acting on it
• Having autonomy in their classrooms
• Access to effective resources
• Opportunities to collaborate
• Feeling respected and trusted by leadership
  

Ask teachers what they need, then show them you’re listening.

Communication: Make It Efficient and Effective

Teachers don’t need more emails, they need better communication. That means clarity, consistency, and purpose.

Actionable Tips:

• Use a weekly digital bulletin with all key updates and links.
• Share agendas in advance and allow time for teacher input.
• Avoid unnecessary meetings. If it can be an email, make it an email.
• Create feedback loops to keep communication two-way and collaborative.
  

Recognition: Make It Meaningful

Recognition doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be sincere. Whether it’s a private thank-you note or a public shout-out, these moments of acknowledgment build trust and boost morale.

Actionable Tips:

• Highlight teacher innovations and student growth in staff meetings.
• Create peer-nominated recognitions that celebrate collaboration.
• Showcase impact stories and instructional wins in newsletters.
  

PD Opportunities: Respect Their Time and Make It Count

Professional development should never feel like a waste of time. When it’s personalized, relevant, and timed well, it becomes a catalyst for growth.

Actionable Tips:

• Schedule PD during school hours, not after-school fatigue time.
• Offer a mix of formats: on-demand, peer-led, coaching-based.
• Link PD to school priorities and teacher goals.
• Build in space for PLCs and cross-campus collaboration.
  

Respect Their Time — Really

Time is a teacher’s most limited resource. Avoid the temptation to add tasks without taking others away. Streamline where you can.

Actionable Tips:

• Eliminate or combine redundant initiatives.
• Protect planning periods at all costs.
• Be thoughtful about the “why” behind new tasks or policies.
• Keep meetings focused and time-bound.
  

Create a Healthy School Environment

A positive school culture isn’t built overnight, but it’s critical for long-term staff satisfaction. Teachers thrive in environments where they feel safe, heard, and included.

Actionable Tips:

• Include teachers in school-wide decision-making.
• Set clear, fair behavior expectations — and enforce them consistently.
• Encourage open-door leadership while balancing boundaries.
• Model the kind of respectful communication and collaboration you want to see.
  

How to Use Technology to Support Teachers

Technology should lighten the load, not add to it. The right tools can enhance instruction, simplify data collection, and support individualized student learning — all while saving teachers time.

Actionable Tips:

• Prioritize tools that integrate with existing data, like NWEA MAP, to reduce duplication.
• Choose platforms like Progress Learning that offer automatic remediation, aligned assessments, and reporting that’s easy to use.
• Provide training and time for teachers to explore and integrate tech in low-stakes environments.
• Recognize and celebrate experimentation — even when it doesn’t work perfectly the first time.
  

When teachers feel supported in these tangible ways: communication, recognition, PD, technology, and more, schools see the payoff in student outcomes, staff morale, and teacher retention. The goal isn’t just to keep teachers, it’s to help them thrive.

See how Progress Learning can help your teachers in the classroom