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Teacher Leadership Summit Structures

Facilitate Teacher Retention

By Debbie LeBlanc and Lisa Caputo Love

Many countries faced educator shortages before the pandemic, but what was already a crisis now threatens to
collapse access to free and appropriate education for our youth. Educators and education partners seek concrete
actions that will address this looming problem as teachers flee the field at astounding rates. Researchers have found
that teacher leadership and opportunities for shared decision-making enhance teacher retention and recruitment
(Johnson et al., 2012; Teach Illinois, 2018), yet limited opportunities exist for teachers to serve as teacher leaders in
their schools and districts. Despite the benefits teacher leaders might yield, many school systems are not set up to
give teachers the time, resources, or support needed to develop and sustain their leadership capacities (Strike et
al., 2019). The Teacher Leadership Summit uses partnerships across the field to make the leap from a “concept” to a
sustainable practice within school and/or district systems.

reat teachers are among the most important resources available to help students
Gsucceed in school and pursue their dreams. Unfortunately, shortages of teachers
in schools exist across the United States, with particularly acute shortages in special
education; bilingual education; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM);
and career and technical education (CTE; Garcia & Weiss, 2019; U.S. Department
of Education, 2022). History has shown that teacher shortages disproportionately
impact students of color and students from low-income backgrounds (Cardichon et
al., 2020; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Garcia & Weiss, 2019; U.S.
Department of Education, 2023).
Furthermore, overall staffing levels in schools are down across the nation,
often forcing remaining teachers to complete additional responsibilities (Darling-
Hammond et al., 2023). This issue is not just one of professional capital. The United
States spends approximately $7.3 billion every year on teacher turnover (Teach Plus,
2020, p. 2) because such turnover costs around $20,000 or more per teacher (Carver-
Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017).
The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools Educator
Shortage Report (2024) indicates that 91% of school leaders report a problem with
teacher shortages and that fewer than half of candidates are qualified for the positions
(Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents
of Schools, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, Goshen
Consulting, ROE LeadHUBS, 2024). These shortages are a two-pronged problem;
Districts must be able to recruit new, qualified candidates to their districts while also
retaining existing educators. Recruiting qualified candidates is difficult in part due
to the decade of decline in teacher preparation graduates (Schaeffer, 2022). A NORC
Spotlight on Education survey from the University of Chicago (2022) found that
fewer than one in five people would encourage young people to become teachers
and that the perception of teaching is that it is “low-paying, stressful, and unsafe.”

Retention Matters
Even if a district can successfully find and attract a qualified candidate, a bucket
with holes cannot retain water. The success of recruitment efforts is irrelevant when
the field is a revolving door. The U.S. Department of Education National Center
for Education Statistics (2023) reported that turnover was at 16% for teachers in
2021, with half of those teachers leaving the profession. When schools have high
turnover, creating the consistent and intentional systems necessary to develop well-

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