“We were expecting the same 10 applicants that we’ve seen in the past,” Superintendent Tonya Olson told The School Perceptions Podcast.
Instead, they got 48.
“I have not seen numbers like that almost since Act 10 (in 2011), or like pre-COVID,” Olson said. “We thought that was a nice indicator that the Lake Mills Area School District is really gaining a reputation for a great place to work.”
Olson explained that the district has focused on a few key metrics in recent years to improve its retention – and by improving retention, it’s improving that reputation for recruitment: “Our mantra is that retention is the new recruitment.”
Ultimately, it all leads back to student success.
“Those who win the talent war win the academic war,” Olson said. “Really everything that we do with our staff that affects culture translates right into the classroom and overall academic achievement.”
Identify what matters
To improve retention, Olson looks at research on the biggest indicators for staff retention, including from School Perceptions surveys, and ties those factors “directly into our strategic plan.” Examples include staff feeling safe at work, that their input is valued, and that they have the materials to do their job.
“Not only are we looking at our survey data, we are working from the boardroom down to the classroom level to make sure that we are taking care of those specific indicators,” she said.
School Perceptions Senior Research Director Derek Gottlieb, who hosts the podcast, pointed to research that shows, “People will stay if they continue to believe that it’s worth it.” What does the research say will make it worth it?
- Lowering student disciplinary problems
- Improving work environment
- Increasing administrative support
- Providing better professional development and mentoring for beginning teachers
“None of those require as much cash as straightforwardly boosting salaries, which is good because nobody has any extra cash lying around,” Gottlieb said. “But all of those require sizable investments of time and attention to particular aspects of teachers’ working lives.”
Create partnerships
Recently, Olson said the District’s survey data inspired them to create a partnership with the Rotary Club of Lake Mills to create a Teacher of the Month program with a $200 donation to the recipient. It’s created a lot of “buzz” among the staff, Olson said, to have people outside of the schools recognize their hard work.
“One of the things that we incorporated this year into our continuous performance report was the data indicator, ‘I am recognized when I do a good job,’” she said. “We noticed that that was a strong indicator to staff feeling engaged and wanting to stay.”
Efforts like that are key, she said, because budgets don’t allow for simply increasing pay to a level that would make a notable difference in retention.
“Unfortunately, in these tough budget times, increasing salaries and improving benefits are very difficult to do,” Olson said. “I think all of us here, especially in Wisconsin, are in the same spot with that. So really the staff engagement piece and taking care of your staff is going to be the key indicator.”
The other reason not to focus on money, alone? Research shows it “matters less than you might think,” Gottlieb said.
“This is phenomenal news for district leaders in Wisconsin and also everywhere else given the kinds of financial pressures that school systems are under nationwide,” he added.
Build your staff’s capacity
Olson pointed to another key factor that buoys her District’s retention: leadership development.
“We’ve taken on the attitude that we have a very high-quality staff and when we have openings that would move them up the career ladder, we’re looking internally first at our own staff,” she said.
The combination of state and federal legislation in recent decades, along with increasing competition from the charter and private school sectors, has contributed to fewer people entering the teaching career.
“The overarching result is fewer people see teaching as a stable and desirable career now than they did a generation ago,” Gottlieb said.
And, research shows, more people are leaving in the middle of their career, instead of mostly within a few years of starting.
“The teacher profession has always had relatively high attrition … but what we’re seeing now is a new and additional wrinkle: Not just an early-career ‘Whoops, this isn’t for me’ phenomenon, but a mid-career, ‘This isn’t worth it anymore’ pattern, too,” Gottlieb said.
That means providing a career ladder, like Lake Mills is doing, can be a way to keep people engaged as they consider their long-term future.
“I think people see that if they have longevity here in the District that they can continue to move into these other roles and expand their leadership qualities,” Olson said.
Sometimes, those opportunities come outside the District, as well. Olson said Lake Mills has had two assistant principals take on lead principal roles in other districts, with one soon to move into a superintendent role.
“I also look at that as a win for our District, as well, that we are still building that capacity that’s benefitted another district,” she said.
To hear more from Olson and get the inside scoop on the research behind teacher retention from Gottlieb, listen to The School Perceptions Podcast.
The School Perceptions Blog and Resource Center features the voices of our team members. This post was written by Scott Girard, Project Manager.