Key points:

• Modernize existing spaces to support diverse learning needs for all students
• 4 ways we designed collaborative learning spaces
• How to create engaging active learning environments
• For more news on learning spaces, see eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

We always knew that it would be great to have a dedicated space for students who needed pull-out testing, different accommodations, and/or more individualized instruction. We also knew that by creating a modern, multipurpose space from an existing facility we’d be able to meet those needs while also using the space for staff meetings, academic clubs, Bible study, and other uses.

Using funding from our Parish Picnic and donations, we picked the perfect place for our new multipurpose room: a common space that was central to the gathering area near the entrance to our church.

The facility was previously used as a meeting space for adult faith formation and is part of the school’s building. The space itself didn’t need much renovation other than the removal of an aging mini kitchen and countertop.

Here are five steps we took to get that space modernized and ready to use:

1. Brainstorm your wants and needs. We needed a space where we could have multiple grade levels in a space at once, with up to 15 children in one space and 15 in another at any given time. We needed a large enough space for that, and we wanted it to be something that was inviting, welcoming, and modern.

2. Fill it with modular furniture options. We wanted to make sure all of the furniture was able to be moved and reconfigured in different ways. That was important because after school we have larger meetings that have to be held there, so we need greater flexibility to be able to move the tables and chairs around.

3. Get creative with tables, chairs, and fixtures. We wanted students to be able to stand or sit at different heights. We have two study carousels, which are one-person units where a student can sit and have a quiet space. Also, we wanted everything to be able to be wiped down so that it could be cleaned easily because we knew that there would be a lot of students in there utilizing the space.

4. Work with a flexible partner that provides a variety of options. MiEN and its designers worked with us both in person and remotely. They would present their initial renderings; we would suggest revisions because we weren’t sure at the beginning what we wanted. After we’d throw out ideas, they’d go back to the drawing board and provide a new rendering. Having that kind of collaborative partnership and flexibility was very nice.

5. Check out similar spaces. We looked at spaces in two other schools and took pictures of a similar space at the high school level. We looked at how the space was being used, but we still couldn’t quite visualize how that would transfer here. It was very helpful to see how other schools used their space to help us finalize our plans and move to installation.

Our new space was available for use for the 2023-24 school year, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback on it so far. The kids love going in there and using it. Our principal takes families on tours that are interested in coming to our school and they have been astounded by the new space. Most of the Catholic schools don’t have a space like that, so that’s also been a wonderful selling point.

Key points:

• In today’s schools, leaders must be prepared for continuous learning
• See article: For school leaders, routine decisions aren’t so routine
• See article: How to work for equity of access in classrooms
• For more news on school leadership, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership page

There was a time when we believed that once you knew how to do something then that was it. Mission accomplished. The skill set was learned and the only thing to do was to put it into practice. It could be improved or mastered through repetition and habit, but the general consensus was that skills were finite.

This was – perhaps still is – true for our students as they check through the content boxes of historical facts, algebraic formulas, and the periodic table. And it was also true of our school leaders. Once they learned the skill set and content knowledge needed to be a principal – let’s call it School Leader 101  – then that was it. Completed and let’s move on. The learning came first and then the leadership began.

We could title this understanding Learning then Leading. They were separate entities and sequential activities.

More recently, learning and leading are both seen as important in the role of school leadership. They aren’t always sequential and sometimes – especially if a leader lacks some new content knowledge or a particular skill set –they relearn or upskill themselves as needed. This was most common when new technology came out or new methods for instruction, assessment, or accountability. Often imposed changes from the outside required new skill sets for leaders.

We could call this Leading and Learning.

What we are starting to see and understand – especially with the fast pace of change – is that school leaders need to be doing both simultaneously. Leading effectively now requires leaders to be learning at the same time. There are new ways of doing things, new skill sets and knowledge that leaders need to know, understand and adapt to. It is no longer enough to rely on past knowledge or skill sets from a couple of years ago. The context in which we lead is constantly changing, which requires leaders to grow and evolve.

This can be defined as Leading as Learning.

But do we really need to see these two things as separate entities or activities? Shouldn’t leading be learning? Learning to improve. Learning to adapt and adjust. Learning to make decisions, bring teams together, and challenging the ways things have been done before.  All educators want students to be lifelong learners, so shouldn’t educators including leaders expect the same for themselves. Being good at something means continuous learning and adjustment because our situation, our community, and our world is constantly changing. And these changes are happening at an ever-increasing rate.

Maybe we should break it down to state that Leading is Learning. It is a process of learning everyday where skills aren’t mastered but rather developed, enhanced and refined over time.

For us to be the best leaders, educators, and people we can be, we should embrace that we need to be constantly and consistently learning. Our contexts are changing rapidly. The five-year strategy and even the annual school improvement plan are liable to change multiple times to the point where they are more intentions than confirmed destinations. And so, they should be.

It is not only that our worlds are changing so quickly – who knew of ChatGPT 12 months ago – it is also the realization that learning is part and parcel with who we are and what we do. Leaders must now be full-time learners. Learning by self-reflection. Learning by questioning. Learning by being vulnerable. Learning by becoming uncomfortable. Learning by challenging the status quo.

Rather than feel overwhelmed by adding yet another thing to our to-do list, let’s view it as an opportunity.  An opportunity to model and share what we expect of everyone in our schools. As leaders in the learning business, we get to be the Lead Learner and that is a pretty exciting role.

Key points:

• Improving family engagement methods can be challenging, but not impossible
• See article: 5 tips to increase parent engagement
• See article: 3 tips to cultivate meaningful parent engagement
• For more news on school communication, see eSN’s Educational Leadership page

As a school administrator, I thought a lot about family engagement. How could I get more parents and guardians to feel connected and interested in getting involved? How could I get my staff to connect with families? I researched articles and tried different strategies.

Approximately two years ago, I had the opportunity to work with an internal team providing technical assistance to a district as part of a grant through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. One of the focal points of our collaboration focused on creating resources to support and increase family engagement. Our team conducted research and focused on the work of Karen Mapp, PhD, and the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships for this work. This framework made me rethink family engagement.  

In “Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships,” Mapp and Paul Kuttner explain that there are six process conditions “that are important to the success of capacity-building interventions.” They argue that “process conditions are key to the design of effective initiatives for building the capacity of families and school staff to partner in ways that support student achievement and school improvement.”

The six process conditions call for family engagement initiatives to focus on these six areas.     

1. Take a relational approach: Built on mutual trust: Supporting a relational approach built on mutual trust is the first process condition listed in the Dual-Capacity Framework, and this isn’t by accident. Mapp is well-known for saying that relational trust is the factor that enables all the other conditions to be possible. Too often, the first contact between families and a school is not positive. Many times, these initial interactions are about tasks that need to be completed or requests for school supplies. This can be off-putting for families. Instead, aim for proactive communication that seeks to build trust and supports ongoing communication. Commit to early positive phone calls focused on learning about them and their student.

2. Connect family engagement and learning and development: This supports student achievement, especially when we help families and students develop knowledge and skills. Sharing learning strategies can help empower families. Can you create online resources that help parents and guardians teach their kids strategies for solving math problems or improving reading at home?

3. Take an asset-based approach: Recognize that families have strengths, skills, and resources that support students’ learning and school improvement. Encourage parents and guardians to leverage those assets. Invite families to visit classrooms and share their lived experiences. A family member can share with a class how they use math in their medical career, for example.

4. Be culturally responsive and respectful: Respect families’ values, cultures, languages, and heritages. This process condition doesn’t ask us to invite families to share their backgrounds with us, as the previous condition does. Instead, it asks us to recognize that not all families are alike and to respond positively to these differences. Families engage with schools in different ways, and this can be partly due to their cultures. Schools should identify and recognize different types of engagement to appeal to all families. Where possible, provide families opportunities to talk to you and teachers in their preferred language. This may need to be in collaboration with community resources and services. 

5. Be collaborative: In many schools, school-home collaboration can be limited. The fifth process condition in the framework asks us to be collaborative, and is strengthened when educators, families, and communities have positive community-building experiences together. When planning for school or district events, bring educators, families, and community members together so everyone can take part in making them a reality. Consider reaching out to families in different ways when asking them to participate. Consider including students in preparing for school events such as having an event flyer competition. If staff members have cultural ties to different communities, ask them to help promote events.

6. Offer interactive opportunities: Interactive family–school partnerships engage educators, families, and community members in learning together. Think about a traditional open house, where families come to your building, meet the teacher, and are told about things like rules and curriculum. The communication is very one-way, and kids usually stay home with a sitter. Are there opportunities to invite children to join their adults? Just seeing their child excited to lead them to their desk or point out the gym and library can help parents and guardians feel more engaged. Another suggestion is to ask teachers to invite parents and guardians to leave a note on their child’s desk or in their locker.

Family engagement can feel like a lot when your plate is already full. Keep your goals realistic. Ask yourself, what is one thing I can do differently this week that can help my students’ families feel like a bigger part of our school community? Maybe you decide you’d like to try a family math night with games and activities aligned to the curriculum. Next week, you can take a second action to help make it happen.

Key points:

• District leaders must invest in robust data systems to understand absenteeism risks and patterns
• See article: What a 4-day school week might mean for your district
• See article: How to work for equity of access in classrooms
• For more news on school management, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership page

More children than ever are skipping school. The latest data shows that the number of public school students who miss at least 10 percent of their school days–whether excused or unexcused–has nearly doubled.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors found that chronic absenteeism significantly contributed to drops in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, accounting for 16 to 27 percent of NAEP score declines in math and 36–45 percent in reading.  

Lower test scores only illuminate some of the problems caused by chronic absenteeism. Students who miss school also miss important social interaction with their peers, access to regular meals and special services such as speech therapy or counseling. These students are also more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to pursue postsecondary education, further impacting their future and societal growth as a whole. Below are the key elements that have to be addressed before we can reduce chronic absenteeism with our students.

Why are students skipping school?

Before anything else happens, we must recognize that our students miss school for a variety of reasons, ranging from bullying, to a lack of established relationships and engaging curriculum, to feeling unsafe physically or emotionally. Other barriers such as housing insecurity, unreliable transportation, and health concerns also factor into chronic absenteeism.

We know that it’s not enough to take attendance and focus on the students chalking up consecutive absences; district leaders must invest in robust data systems to truly understand absenteeism risks and patterns.

The Education Trust recommends that districts:

• Determine whether many students are missing a few days or if a small segment is responsible for excessive absences.
• Disaggregate data to determine if specific demographic groups are experiencing higher levels of chronic absenteeism (for example, by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, or free- or reduced-price lunch status.)
• Begin tracking chronic absence data early, no later than kindergarten.

Digging deeper into the data

We know that raw data from attendance monitoring systems only uncover part of the story, requiring schools and our teachers to proactively dig deeper. With limited time in the day and more priorities stacking up on educators’ plates, using universal screeners and other regular wellness assessments, can provide a bigger picture into the school climate and identify issues that trigger absences individually and schoolwide, then intervene before they occur.

According to the School Mental Health Collaborative, universal social, emotional and behavioral (SEB) screening tools are a foundational component of a comprehensive, multi-tiered system of school-based supports (MTSS). By using these tools, schools can uncover individual and system-wide reasons for chronic absenteeism by:

• Engaging in Tier I universal prevention monitoring, such as school needs and readiness assessments, climate surveys, student assessments, and staff and caregiver training, all of which can help uncover reasons behind chronic absenteeism.
• Investing in prevention activities and then using that data to direct resources toward targeted interventions that can reduce absenteeism.

Ensuring all students reach their full potential

Improving student attendance requires meeting the needs of the whole child. This includes supporting students’ social-emotional needs, mental health, and physical well-being–long before you see chronic absences. However, we must also create the policies and have tools available to support identified students and their challenges. This includes establishing a strong referral and intervention process for chronically absent students who will need Tier 2 services such as individual or group counseling, community-based referrals and progress monitoring.

Providing Tier 2 support when you’re already struggling with staffing shortages can feel daunting. By partnering with a full-service MTSS provider, educators can offer comprehensive solutions to chronically absent students. Providers that offer assessments, interventions and counseling across MTSS help you better identify and support at-risk students–ensuring they reach their full potential.

Chronic absenteeism will not dissolve over night; we must continue to support our students and educators with all of the tools and resources we have available to ensure they have the access, support and education every child deserves.

Key points:

• Parents worry that trouble hiring and retaining teachers will trickle down to their children’s in-school experiences
• Mental health and pandemic-related academic gaps also top the list of parents’ concerns
• See related article: This key strategy can help boost teacher well-being immediately
• For more news on teacher and staff shortages, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership page

As the school year begins, an increasing share of U.S. parents are concerned about their children’s education and experience at school. More than half of parents (56 percent) say they are concerned that teachers are burned out to the point that teacher shortages will adversely affect their child’s education, according to the 2023 Back-to-School Study from Qualtrics.

Additionally, 45 percent expect to transport their children to school more often than in previous years because of bus driver shortages. Amid a national teacher shortage, 65 percent of parents report being concerned about their school’s ability to provide qualified educators.

Teacher and staff experience have a ripple effect on the student experience, especially in K-12 education, where enrollment numbers determine funding and resources. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public K-12 schools lost more than one million students from fall 2019 to fall 2020. Qualtrics asked over 1,000 U.S. parents of children in grades K-12 how their children’s educational experience has been impacted by teacher and staff shortages.

Barriers exist to school resources

A higher share of parents this year report problems with the mental health resources at school, up 10 percentage points year-over-year, to 74 percent. The top challenges reported were families not knowing what’s available and only short-term treatment being available.

Although the percentage of parents who said they feel their children are “very safe” rose to 35 percent in 2023, there was no change year-over-year in the share of parents who said that they have either had their children change schools or considered doing so due to safety concerns (46 percent).

Parents said they were most worried about bullying (41 percent), school shootings (35 percent), exposure to drugs (12 percent) and COVID (6 percent). These findings indicate a shift in conversations around school safety over the past year. In 2022, the top three safety concerns were school shootings, bullying and COVID.

Students who fell behind during the pandemic are catching up

The Qualtrics research also found that just about half (48 percent) of parents reported that their child fell behind during the pandemic, compared to 56 percent last year. Of those parents, 30 percent said that their children are six months or more behind in school – a drop of seven percentage points year over year. The data indicates more students are catching up after pandemic-related school closures and remote learning.

Parents report students struggling the most in math (41 percent), reading and writing (24 percent), and social development (24 percent). A larger share of parents in 2023 report that their kids are behind in math (up three percentage points) and in social development (up one percentage point) compared with a year earlier. And while reading and writing have improved year over year by four percentage points, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of parents said that they are concerned about book restrictions or “book bans” at their school.

“Teacher burnout negatively impacts the student experience and the quality of education, and it has a harmful snowball effect on K-12 enrollment and funding,” said Carlos Bortoni, industry advisor for K-12 education at Qualtrics. “K-12 school leaders need to listen to their teachers, staff and communities at this crucial time to understand and fix the underlying causes of burnout, including improvements to school climate, staffing numbers and resources. We must do better for our teachers and our students.”

This press release originally appeared online.

Related: Creativity in the classroom reduces burnout and improves well-being

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

More than a decade ago, while running a high-performing school that I loved, a small moment forever shifted how I lead. As a Black woman who was a teenage mother and had dropped out of high school, I was proud of my career and taking great care to figure out what was next. 

While at lunch with a mentor, a leader of a large charter network, she asked, “Have you ever considered being a CEO?” I remember feeling grateful that she thought so highly of my work.  

“You think I could do that job?” I asked. She said she did and went on to explain that I was already doing a lot of that job; I just didn’t know it yet. 

Now, after many years of hard work and mentorship, I’ve successfully served as CEO of three different school networks. I find joy in many parts of my job, but what keeps me devoted to this work is so much larger than leading school networks and all that entails.

Ever since that lunch with my mentor, my work, my calling, has been evolving and expanding. I serve in ways that have allowed my life to come full circle — creating pathways to college for children who might otherwise be counted out. I also work to open pathways for the adults who work at the schools I lead. I want everyone to have the full picture of what they can become.

To be sure, I wouldn’t be where I am today without other leaders guiding me on my journey, especially when I lacked the social capital and background knowledge to make the next right move. From my former principal who helped me secure my first assistant principal job to another mentor who encouraged me to seek out executive coaching, I’ve been lucky to receive sound advice and practical support.

But my commitment to professional growth for educators, particularly those who are women and people of color, is not just a matter of paying it forward. It feels like a necessary investment — and a smart one. 

While some of the recent efforts focused on recruiting more teachers of color have paid off, keeping those teachers in our schools and classrooms is an urgent challenge. A 2021 RAND study found that nearly half of Black teachers reported that they were likely to leave their jobs at the end of the school year because of stress and challenging working conditions. What if schools retain and grow these educators? Chances are their perspective and leadership could help improve retention across the board. 

The current reality, however, holds back rising educators and potential school leaders as well as students of color. That’s because research has shown that when students of color are exposed to teachers who share their race or ethnicity, they perform better academically and are more likely to stay in school.

Yet, we’ve failed to show many educators of color that teaching and education leadership are viable career paths. That means losing the next generation of educators only a little past the starting line. 

So what must we do differently? First, access is a game changer. 

In too many schools, the leadership team is small and insular. At our school, we schedule leadership and board meetings in the evenings, when our whole staff can attend. We invite team members to show up, contribute to materials, and present directly to the board. This may seem small, but if you don’t know what it looks like to be a principal, chief of staff, or CEO, how can you aim to become one?

Next, it’s time to build on access with resources, information, and opportunities. When you open doors to what is possible, you have to make space for learning and growth to follow. That looks like taking time to mentor people or setting them up with mentors, and providing professional development stipends in amounts that allow them to pursue further education. 

A year ago, I had a new middle school principal and assistant principal who showed great potential and were hungry for development. After a year of intentional support and mentorship, both individuals have been promoted and joined our school’s leadership team. They’ve since been invited to speak at conferences, and their work has been highlighted in the media. 

Finally, it’s important to be supportive of the many places this kind of development will lead. When you invest in your staff, you might end up with your next great principal or CEO. You might also send people beyond your school walls to other schools, to advocacy organizations, and to district or state offices. Remember, your investment in talent is not just about growing leaders that benefit your school; it’s about building the next generation of leaders and elevating women and people of color who will shape education in this country.

We want our students to dream big and be prepared to chase whatever future they want. We should want the same for our teachers. Increasing access and opportunities — that’s how we diversify the profession, strengthen our schools, and build the kinds of talented, driven leaders that students at every level need. 

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education.

Related: In school leadership, it’s not what we do–it’s how we do it

Teachers and school/district leaders are needing more support and help with the way(s) they react and interact with others, but they currently are limited by time, resources, and lack of people to turn to.

These were the major findings from a recent survey that provides a snapshot into the issues and dilemmas that educators are facing. When we take a step back and review the survey results, it isn’t a surprise.

For the longest time, we have provided professional development, training, readings and coursework on the instructional or logistical side of education and leadership. Most educators haven’t been on the receiving end of learning experiences on the human side of education and leadership – the ways we act, react, and interact with others. The ways to develop and build trust. The way to form a vision and grow a culture. The way to bring ourselves to work and harness our humanness.

Time plays a role. Or rather the lack of time – not enough time, yet too many things to do – was listed as the major disruptor in building effective school environments. When we run our schools as a list of to-dos that we check off until the next day, we lose the opportunity to bring others in, align actions, and focus on relationships. Time (or lack of it) was taken up with interactions with others, in the school, the community and with the district office.  

Most Time-Consuming Activities

• Communicating with school-based people (staff, students, etc.)                                            
• Communicating with non-school-based people (parents, families, local community, etc.)      
• Responding to directives from district office and/or state departments                                                

And almost every respondent indicated ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that many of the challenges at school involve dealing with people in some way.

It should make sense, therefore, for teachers and leaders to focus on the way they react and interact to improve these interactions and reduce the amount of stress (and perhaps time) associated with them.

But when educators are asked where they go for help, the majority went to their peers or a trusted colleague.

Where to go to for help

• Peer/Principal colleague
• Trusted colleague                                                                                                

They didn’t however typically seek help from their  

• Senior leadership team
• Mentor
• Professional coach / other professional.                                                                                          

That may be because they didn’t feel that they their senior leadership was willing or able to help; or that they didn’t have access to mentors or coaches. Teachers often go to senior teachers and leadership for instructional and curricula questions, but it appears that they are less eager to approach them for non-instructional matters.

To further complicate the issue, many leaders themselves indicated that they felt they didn’t have the right capabilities or skillsets to adequately support their school staff.

What gets in the way of you supporting your school staff in the way you would like?

• Time constraints
• Lack of capabilities or skillset                                                   

So, what areas need the most attention for teachers and leaders? In order off greatest concern:

• Difficult conversations                                                                                                                           
• Building capability of my team                                                                                                            
• Engaging others and getting buy in                                                                                                    
• Giving feedback                                                                                                                                       
• Giving direction and creating shared purpose                                                                                 
• Listening                                                                                                                                                                   
• Slowing down                                                                                                                                          
• Wellbeing                                                                                                                                                  
• Prioritizing and time management                                                                                                     
• Leading in uncertainty                                                                                                                           
• Empowering, delegating and letting go                                                                                            
• Setting personal boundaries and learning to say no                                                                     
• Resilience and wellbeing                                                                                                                       

Many of these can be grouped, or at least aligned.

• Slowing down; prioritizing time; and wellbeing.
• Having difficult conversations; listening; and empowering others.
• Building capacity of my team; engaging others and getting buy in, and empowering, delegating and letting go.           

These all relate to how we act and how we interact with others. Do we calm situations down or do we raise the heat of a situation? They also highlight our own self efficacy. Do we seek others out to share the load or do we carry everything on our own shoulders?

These findings match research that shows that most of the leadership coaching that educators and leaders request revolves around Relate (how we interact with others) and Be (how we think about ourselves). More than half of our coaching revolves around ‘Relate’ topics and a third focuses on ‘Be’ topics.

These areas are the human side of leadership, and they frequently align. It is unlikely if your self-confidence is lacking that you will then actively seek others to help. It is more likely that those who seek to engage and empower others have already grown their own level of confidence and resilience first.

Related:
Professional learning could advance teaching, equitable learning

At this time of year, I hear a common refrain from school leaders I know: 1) This work is challenging, 2) We have a plan for student success, and yet 3) There is a lot more we need in order to deliver on our promise of a high-quality, equitable education for every student. These leaders launched the year with an inspiring vision for creating vibrant schools where all students are engaged in meaningful learning, feel loved, and want to come to school each day. There may have been times where this vision came close to reality.

As we head into the middle of the year, however, gaps often emerge. Student culture may become strained, faculty and staff may feel tired and frustrated, lessons aren’t as strong as they had hoped, and/or the highest needs students aren’t getting the support they need. Which raises the question: What do I do right now? 

In my role as the Vice President of Innovation and Impact at Relay Graduate School of Education, the best part of my job is the opportunity to find, study, and share what is working in schools across our country. One of the moves that we see our most effective leaders do at this moment of the year is lead a strategic reset on a key area of the school that – if improved – will have a significant positive impact on student learning and experience right now.  

Invariably, these leaders doubled down on one focus area: They identified a moment of the school day to improve, they clarified a vision for success, identified high leverage action steps, and created a plan to make it happen.  

‍In doing so, these leaders carried out what we call a “Reset.” A Reset is a narrowly focused initiative, planned and executed to have a meaningful impact in a short period of time. It’s different from long-term strategic planning, which may involve multiple areas of improvement, significant structural changes, and the reallocation of resources. A Reset is an evidence-backed plan to tackle one key area, now — and see results. Through our leadership programs, we’ve coached thousands of school, district, and network leaders through the Reset process. Here are the insights and practices we’ve gleaned: 

 
Prioritize. What equity gaps are most keeping you up at night? Many leaders find that while it may be tempting to address numerous areas for improvement, choosing to prioritize one main concern to make real progress toward their vision for equity is most impactful. An “equity gap,” is the room for improvement in a school’s efforts to provide all children what they need to develop to their full potential. Consider whether these gaps are about student or staff culture, or about instruction gaps.  

Clarify the vision. What specific success would you like to see by the end of the Reset period? When plans fall, often it’s because the initial vision for success wasn’t specific enough. You’re far more likely to succeed if you spell out, in vivid detail, what your plan will look like. These details serve two functions: 1) They help you and your team to get clear on a set of shared expectations; and 2) They act as a forcing function when creating your plan for implementation. 

Determine key actions. How can your Reset move the needle right now, starting as soon as tomorrow, in ways that will have a meaningful impact? Your Reset plan is unlikely to involve significant adjustments in your school’s allocation of resources; those kinds of changes fall within the realm of strategic planning. But you can think of steps you can take within your current structures that can drive noticeable improvements in teaching and learning. What’s within your grasp–and locus of control–that can make a significant difference for students and staff in the immediate future? 

Create the plan. Who will do what when, and using what tools? We’ve noticed two things about school leader plans that consistently succeed in achieving their objectives for their schools: 1) Their plans are highly specific and 2) Their plans address all that needs to happen for the plan to be successful. Nothing is vague or left to chance. Team members should first brainstorm ideas together but at some point one leader needs to sit down and complete a clean draft, then share it back for additional team feedback before finalizing. Reset planning sessions emphasize four components that are essential for any initiative to succeed: capacity building; investment building; measuring impact; timing.  

A key part of the Reset process is to approach it with the right orientation: acknowledging the realities of the moment while maintaining faith in our ultimate success is central to the work of school leaders. Leading schools is hard work in the best of times, and of late even more so. So long as our students are in our schools we have the power – and responsibility – to make a positive difference. The Reset process is designed to help you do so, so that you and your team may gain some clarity about what steps you will take tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, to move you closer to finishing this all-important marathon that we’re in. 

Related:
5 tips to retain your educators during school staff shortages
How to ensure clear communication with your paraprofessionals

Working in the education design space collectively for 26 years, we understand students and teachers need environments to support learning. Classrooms should be designed for listening and engagement; study spaces should be calm and quiet. And yet, these environments are typically noisy and full of unintentional distractions – and overlook design elements that facilitate focus.

Besides noise reduction, students require a harmonious balance among lighting, temperature, air quality, and intentional design to maximize their focus throughout their long days. Ninety-two percent of teachers believe classroom design has a strong impact on students’ learning, and carpet, color, and furnishings are just a few elements that can help improve education spaces.

Understanding the need to balance these components, we always approach education design by drafting inclusive spaces with adaptable features. It’s important that designs address today’s modern classroom demands and demonstrate how designers and architects can create a comforting, student-centered design. By integrating noise-absorbing elements for focused learning, supporting classroom productivity and creativity with color, and reconfiguring the classroom layout to inspire collaboration, students and teachers alike are better positioned to succeed.

Optimizing Acoustics

Many classrooms have a speech intelligibility rating of 75 percent or less, and 50 percent of newly qualified teachers suffer voice loss, attributed in part to classrooms with poor acoustics. Noise, echoes, reverberation, and room modes all interfere with students’ ability to listen and accurately understand speech. Inaccurate hearing disrupts concentration, classroom behavior, and content consumption.

Despite being a prominent issue that greatly transforms learning, acoustics have been a neglected aspect of classroom design. As designers, architects, and educators, it’s important to consider all design components that influence classroom noise. Integrating fabric-wrapped acoustic wall panels, ceiling tiles that rate highly on the Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) scale, and opting for softer design materials and decorations are all key noise absorption elements. These design details all attribute to improved academic performance and encourage focused energy.

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When designing classrooms, we use a combination of these methods, avoiding hard surfaces where possible, and choosing soft furniture and carpet for extra sound absorption properties. Designers can also tailor classroom design with carpet cushion backing options that reduce noisy distractions and absorb the impacts of the heavily trafficked floor.

Integrating Color for Purposeful Movement

Color is also an influential aspect of classroom learning as it affects behavior, performance, and intention. From saturated hues that signal fun and play to muted neutrals that communicate calm and concentration, colors and the patterns that house them influence behavior. Identifying the desired energy in the room determines what colors and patterns to use in furniture, decorations, exposed structures, and flooring. Designers should welcome colorful chairs and posters in play areas, while desks should mirror a minimalist aesthetic to encourage student concentration. The use of color in designated areas signals to students the behavior expected of them.

For example, implementing a pod layout in education projects can create collaboration among the different grade levels. Using colors to designate specific grades or areas of the building enables students to know where they should be and subconsciously signals their behavioral expectations. For example, the first grade classrooms could have yellow accents, second graders green, and third graders red, while common spaces incorporate the colors of adjacent and combined grade groups. In these classroom areas that require more focused energy, we use a combination of muted patterns so students can concentrate on their studies and teachers have the flexibility to decorate how they want.

However, we opt for dynamic and energetic patterns to represent engagement in areas that allow more student collaboration, like in the media center. This approach to flooring design allows children to intuitively know how to behave depending on where they are.

Photo courtesy of RTA Architects

Designing for All Learning Styles

Over the last decade, we’ve seen a significant increase in schools prioritizing collaborative and flexible design to accommodate different learning styles. Since students are in constant motion and change between activities, ergonomic and Montessori classroom design allows for this adaptable learning style. No student learns the same way, yet traditional classrooms are uniformly structured for one learning method.

Incorporating adjustable chairs or desks, limiting distracting decorations, and finding the right soft lighting are all ways to intentionally design classrooms. These elements aim to optimize comfort, limit sensory overload, and increase productivity. Instead of children being overly focused on staying still, they have the freedom to move so all their attention is on the subject at hand.

Photo courtesy of RTA Architects

There are many ways designers and architects can prioritize student-focused design for better classroom learning. Design must account for diverse learning styles while ensuring students are encouraged to collaborate and connect with their teachers and peers. With the combination of muted and dynamic carpet patterns, noise-reducing materials, and elements that signal purpose, students are well-equipped to comfortably tune into their classroom. And while not every school is able to complete an entire renovation, classrooms and collaborative spaces can simply be redecorated or designed for all students.

As research reveals that relational trust leads to engagement and success, we are reminded that teachers hold our students’ stories and hopes—and here’s how school leaders can lay the foundation for relational trust so that school communities flourish.

In school environments, intellectual growth and community are treasured as exciting pieces of the work that teachers build.  Relationships are critical to everyone in an institution.  Working with people—in addition to working with the technology or materials or curriculum—means that cooperative interactions occur daily.

Because administrators, policy-makers, students, parents, and community members all play key roles in how society values the work of teachers, positive interactions become critical.  For this reason, relational trust is a key factor within the learning environment to have engagement and success (Bryk & Schneider, 2002; Bryk et al., 2009).  Relationships are unique and take time to build.  The impact of healthy environments can empower each individual into making authentic efforts, putting in the rigor/practice, and achieving goals.  Keeping teachers engaged and valued, indeed, becomes the most critical aspect of society in order to develop the next generation of educated citizens.

How can administration and leaders help the education profession be enhanced and valued, and why does this matter? 

Insights About Teachers’ Work

1. Use respectful language when talking with and about teachers.  Whether you are an administrator or active community member, how you speak, write, and/or communicate towards educators will shape the culture.  The word “respectful” means showing appreciation and giving grace, honoring the noble work that teachers commit themselves to every day.  The words that we use reflect your level of respect for the job of a teacher.  Most importantly, adults model how others should be treated.  Therefore, a language that shows thoughtful regard for educators’ work—that is, the important job of shaping citizens to be engaged and building caring communities—cannot be underestimated.

Sensitivity is an important skill to emphasize as administrators work with diverse faculty and staff, and teachers benefit from being given grace, as well as avoiding assumptions.  Energy spreads, so focus on the ripple effect of respectful communications—and encourage others to build self-awareness and proactive strategies about compassionate conversations, which open the door to relational trust.  Remember to reach out and offer resources for struggling or novice teachers.  Ask questions and encourage authenticity without judgment.  Indeed, teachers are working in a school culture where verbal communication means much more than only using considerate language.  Community members must consider how their non-verbal cues convey respect to the teaching profession.    

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2. Make the effort to support teachers’ decision-making and professional growth for others to see—and be inspired.  After all, our effective teachers know that there is clear evidence and data that support their methods.  Rubrics are, for example, a helpful tool in coursework and professional growth that convey levels of mastery (with clear descriptions), showing criteria for learners, as well as for everyone to understand the expectations.  Point out that pedagogical approaches can be the “how” a teacher uses certain skills or strategies to support learning objective(s).  The goals can be viewed as the “what” for educational aims.  None of this is arbitrary.

That being said, one size does not fit all.  Consider the idea that the greater community has a vital role in “recognizing” the efforts and hard work, in addition and with support to their teachers’ work, of all school community members: students, bus drivers, custodians, school resource officers, counselors, administrators, student teachers, parents, and volunteers.  Encouragement matters.  In turn, communities and schools are often reflections of the well-being of each other.  Administrators play a significant role to build relationships of trust for direct mentoring; however, these relationships can also be about connecting others for growth.  Traditional (i.e. one-on-one interactions) or non-traditional mentoring (i.e. via a board, reverse-mentoring, mastermind groups) build relationships and friendships with people who can provide feedback or counsel, so teachers are moving towards progress and growth.  Moreover, every member of the community can find ways to contribute, to discover empowerment, and to offer authentic ways of caring for all people to reach their fullest potential.      

3. Model and uphold emotionally safe spaces for teachers.  Teachers work at schools, where many children—and even adults—will find and thus remember a plethora of emotions in these spaces.  New friendships are made and the magnificent joy of learning new concepts is discovered.  Administrators have a responsibility of maintaining and protecting safe spaces.  Although it can be thought that no space is truly a safe space as one word, one incident, one act can dismantle safety.  Listen to this: our teachers hold our students’ stories and hopes, which transcend way beyond classroom walls. 

In particular, a teacher has the special ability and space of planting seeds, from which dreams grow in children’s minds and hearts.  If we want to change the world, we need to protect and care for the people right here around us.  Therefore, community leaders have an ethical responsibility in helping teachers to keep educative spaces safe.

Now that we have come full circle to where we started, this leads us to a final question: why should we consider and act in ways to keep school teachers engaged and valued?  Certainly, teachers have many daily tasks to accomplish in preparing students to become autonomous and active citizens.  It takes multiple people to have a well-functioning society.  American schools are the foundation where many people learn to think and speak as informed citizens, and teachers build these infrastructures and relationships.  Put simply, people need to know—and feel—more than how to navigate our busy and complex world as we also need to know how to transform it, which is often learned from watching, interacting, and loving our school teachers.

The other day, my friend’s high school daughter complained, “It’s not fair!” “What’s not fair?” her mother asked. “Everyone is cheating!” her daughter replied. “They started doing it during COVID, and now it’s a habit.” Unfortunately, academic dishonesty is just one example of the many negative consequences of the COVID pandemic.

In hindsight, we have ample evidence that remote learning during COVID increased hardships for PK-12 students, both academically and non-academically. Some students lacked necessary resources. In one study, even after all students were provided with a laptop computer, internet access, and headphones, low-income students’ school attendance and engagement were consistently less frequent than their higher-income peers (An, 2021). Food insecurity also increased during COVID, partly due to the hiatus of school breakfast, lunch, and take-home snack pack programs (Parekh et al., 2021). And worst of all, children at home during COVID were twice as likely to experience physical abuse and three times likely to experience emotional abuse during the pandemic than in prior years (Park & Walsh, 2022).

Without a doubt, remote learning during COVID was distressing for students, with 71 percent of parents in one study reporting that the pandemic had “taken a toll on their child’s mental health” (Abramson, 2022, para. 2).

It was a stressful time for teachers, too. One study found that teachers experienced higher burnout rates, depression, and anxiety as a result of the rapid transition to remote learning and its extended duration, which led to feelings of isolation, lower work commitment, and higher teacher turnover (Gutentag & Asterhan, 2022).

All of these factors contributed to a substantial decline in student learning during COVID. One year into the pandemic, Kwakye and Kibort-Crocker (2021) reported that 23 percent of low-income students received a failing grade during the pandemic compared to 8 percent of average- and high-income students. After two years, federal achievement data revealed significant drops in third-grade students’ overall math and reading scores across the United States (Camera, 2022).

So now, we’re all back at school, but things have changed. In addition to lingering fears of COVID, the national trend toward disrespect for authority has increased student discipline issues, and the rash of school shootings in recent years has rendered school safety a huge concern (Kurtz, 2022; Oshin, 2022).

Moreover, controversial curricular reform efforts in social studies, science, and health have exacerbated the re-opening of schools, with community feelings of distrust, protests at school board meetings, and parents pulling children from public schools in favor of private and home school options (Sparks, 2022).

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In response, today’s school leaders have no choice but to view post-COVID as an opportunity for schools to redouble their efforts to support students. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a pyramid-shaped model that represents human motivation from a student’s most basic needs (the base of the pyramid) to their greatest potential (the pyramid’s peak), offers a useful framework (Wahome, 2022) (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological Needs. First and foremost, post-COVID schools must work harder than ever to ensure that all students have the resources and support they need. Community resources, private donations, and grants can be sought to supplement school funding for things like laptops, software, and hot spots. Non-perishable food drives, fresh produce markets, and the availability of personal hygiene products for students who need them can be organized by parent clubs or community groups. Social and public health services such as counseling, parent education, dental exams, and flu shots can be provided on-site (Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2022).

Safety, Protection, and Security. Ensuring students’ physical and emotional safety runs a close second. Post-COVID schools must do all they can to protect students from harm and hostility, both in-person and in cyberspace. School security systems, school resource officers, background checks, and other safety measures must take top priority. School facilities must be free of toxins and hazards, student behavior policies must hold students to high standards, and school staff members and volunteers should receive annual training as mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect as well as sex-based discrimination and harassment. 

Belongingness and Love. Today’s schools also must go out of their way to facilitate students’ feelings of belongingness. School colors, mascots, and participation in extracurricular activities provide a starting point, but more than ever before, post-COVID students need opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and problem solve with their peers. Additionally, advisor-advisee programs built into the school day can foster close relationships between advisors and small groups of students (AMLE, 2022). Parent and community volunteers can be recruited to assist with homework and tutoring. Partnerships with local churches and other civic groups can provide students with positive role models, mentors, and social-emotional support.

Esteem. Only after students’ physiological, safety, and belonging needs are met should schools begin thinking about teaching and learning. Post-COVID is a grand opportunity to re-think the traditional academic structure of schools. Today’s students would benefit from smaller class sizes, two teachers per classroom, and extended instructional time for reading, math, and writing instruction. Today’s students no longer need to memorize information; they need to understand concepts. Students no longer need to learn isolated facts; they need to practice the skills needed to apply them. Re-thinking what, why, and how students are taught is what teachers and school leaders do best; and in today’s post-COVID world, doing things differently is essential.

Self-Actualization. Once students reach the peak of the Maslow’s Hierarchy pyramid, they are finally in a position to blossom and thrive. But only with a solid foundation of support and resources beneath them can students achieve their full potential. To help students get there, today’s school leaders must work to develop a post-COVID vision for teaching and learning that not only supports students academically but also addresses students’ non-academic and social-emotional needs. Once that happens, my friend’s conversation with her high school daughter might sound something like this: “It’s not fair!” “What’s not fair?” “Everyone is working so hard! They started doing it following COVID, and now it’s a habit!”

Having a campus-wide communication ecosystem is imperative, and school district leaders have no higher priority than to create secure and informed campus environments.

Being able to initiate a controlled emergency notification protocol to alert, notify and monitor directly from a mobile device, classroom audio system, or interactive flat panel is essential.

An eSchool News panel of experts, including Brent Thrasher, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Overton County Schools and Todd Eddy from Galaxy Next Generation, offers insights into how to make better decisions, prevent risk, and strengthen communication between faculty, administration, and first responders during an active threat.

Topics include:

• How to immediately notify teachers of a lockdown through software alerts.
• How to instantly notify law enforcement and first responders.
• How to monitor communication within your entire ecosystem using one software platform.

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The COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of our lives for more than two years, but perhaps the hardest hit population were children who suddenly found themselves unable to go to school. This was disruptive not only from an educational standpoint, but socially, as well. That’s why school districts have done everything in their power so that children can experience a normal 2022–2023 school year. But that can only happen if superintendents make safety a top priority to prevent coronavirus outbreaks that could derail their carefully planned back-to-school plans. And it all starts with air quality. 

This isn’t just a local issue. Over the coming months, the Biden administration will be honoring and highlighting school districts who are excelling in their efforts to improve indoor air quality. It’s a great opportunity for leaders to be recognized for their amazing work, and to instill confidence in a public that is still skeptical that the worst days of the pandemic are behind us. 

According to a recent statement from the White House, in addition to vaccines, boosters, and COVID tests, one of the pillars of keeping schools open is, “helping schools plan and implement indoor air quality improvements.” Schools will have access to federal funds to optimize ventilation through inspection, repairs, upgrades, and replacements in their HVAC systems, as well as installing new systems that facilitate better ventilation.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are providing guidance to help schools develop best practices; and the Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Efficient and Healthy Schools campaign to help schools implement new technologies and approaches to improve ventilation. 

The DOE effort includes a number of initiatives, but one that school administrators may want to pay special attention to is the recognition of “champion schools and districts who are leading the way on indoor air quality.” The administration will issue criteria for this award in the next few weeks, so savvy administrators will want to keep a close eye on the DOE website for details.

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In addition, the Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program allows schools to earn federal accolades for their sustainability work that exhibits indoor air quality, resource efficiency and conservation, and environmental learning. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit North America in early 2020, most of us didn’t know much about it. In fact, scientists had differing opinions on how it spread — remember how all of us spent months wiping down grocery bags with sanitizer, lest a stray molecule find its way onto our hands and then into our lungs? Over time, it would become apparent that this was an airborne disease, and the best method to stay safe was to avoid close physical proximity with other people to prevent sharing contaminated air. As a result, the public response to the pandemic shifted to congregating in outdoor spaces and avoiding small, poorly ventilated areas.

But as vaccines and boosters became available, people slowly began making their way back into indoor spaces, albeit with strong social distancing restrictions to prevent overcrowding. By the end of 2021, most school districts in North America were at least partially providing in-person instruction. And despite a number of variants that have caused mild and moderate disruptions over the last year, it appears that we are well on our way to a return to how life was before any of us had ever heard of COVID-19. That doesn’t mean that we should let our guard down. 

It is impossible to overstate how important it is for schools to maintain the highest possible air quality. According to the EPA, “studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoor levels.” That puts classrooms squarely in the crosshairs of potential flareups and illness clusters over the next few months. And while there isn’t a single magic button that will prevent anyone from getting sick, by implementing best practices, school boards stand a better chance of keeping classrooms open and kids healthy. And after so many years of disruption, that should be one goal that all of us can agree on. 

As back-to-school commences this fall, in addition to the students and teachers returning to school buildings, somewhere between 160,000 and 250,000–or more–folks will be joining those students and teachers. Known by a variety of titles, from paraeducator and paraprofessional, to aid, to assistant teacher, these educational support personnel have the least training of people working in schools. Add the fact that most paraprofessionals are assigned to work with students with the most significant needs, and one can see why these positions are difficult to fill and have generally high turnover rates.

There are a couple of things that can be done to better assist paraprofessionals in their roles within schools. The first is to ensure more effective communication between teachers and the paraprofessionals who work with the same students and support them in the classrooms.

Building administrators should make sure that teachers provide clear and direct guidance for paraprofessionals at the beginning of each term. Often, paraprofessionals might be new to education and might not have much time to prepare for their assignment. One effective method is to have teachers who will work with paraprofessionals complete a short checklist explaining the items they want the paraprofessional to focus on and what they would prefer is left to the teacher. Building administrators then need to facilitate conversations between the teacher and paraprofessionals so expectations are clear. Such a practice can help eliminate problems before they arise by ensuing clear expectations are set for each paraprofessional.

Once expectations are set, paraprofessionals will often need coaching to improve their practice as any other educator does. Often, this coaching of adults it not included within the scope of pre-service training for teachers. Teacher-prep institutions need to do a better job of viewing the classroom as a more fluid environment than it previously was and therefore include the need to address working with paraprofessionals and co-teachers within teacher prep programs. One good resource for teachers new to working with paraprofessionals in their classroom is Teachers Coaching Paraprofessionals by the Ohio Partnership for Excellence in Paraprofessional Preparation.

Once expectations and good communications have been established between the paraprofessional and the teacher, there is the need to ensure that paraprofessionals have the training necessary to be successful. Due to the often-last-minute nature of paraprofessional hiring, they often do not get all the necessary training when onboarded. Their training often focuses on compliance issues and does not ensure they have a complete toolbox to work with the students to whom they are assigned.

A recent study at Winona State University found that among paraprofessionals who worked with students identified as on the autism spectrum, only 43 percent felt they were properly trained to work with those students. Thirty-six percent of surveyed paraprofessionals responded that they were not prepared with the rest, responding that they were unsure.  Those same paraprofessionals identified that they are in need of more training to support working with students in need of conflict resolution, anger management, and appropriate communication skills. Paraprofessionals seem to need the most support in working with students on anger management and helping understand the perceptions of others. Experienced paraprofessionals identified that they spend a lot of time working with students on understanding and reacting appropriately to social cues. Therefore, new paraprofessionals should be given training on helping students utilize social cues.

Paraprofessionals are an essential element within today’s schools. They cannot be successful without strong communication with both building administrators and their classroom teachers. Teachers and administrators need to ensure that expectations are clear, and paraprofessionals know where to go when they need help. Consider formalizing an expectations form for each teacher to complete, so paraprofessionals will have a clear understanding of expectations within each classroom.

Though the recent study showed the need for paraprofessionals who work with students on the autism spectrum see the need for more training in conflict resolution and anger management, each building and district need to develop training to meet the specific needs of their paraprofessionals. Paraprofessional training should be formalized and ongoing throughout the year. With the current teacher shortage, effective paraprofessionals are excellent way to expand the reach of effective teachers. Following the recommendations above will improve the effectiveness of the paraprofessionals and the teachers they work with.

The past two years of pandemic-related stresses and uncertainty have left educators exhausted, even as school districts are returning to a sense of normalcy. A recent National Education Association (NEA) survey found that teachers are burned out, with 67 percent of members reporting it as a very serious issue and 90 percent a very serious or somewhat serious issue.

A majority of schools are completely open for in-person learning, but pandemic-related educator and school staff absences, coupled with continued teacher turnover, are resulting in school staff shortages. In fact, 74 percent of the NEA study respondents reported that they have had to fill in for colleagues or take on other duties at their school or in their district due to school staff shortages.

This is the first time in my career that I have faced the daily struggle to fill school staff shortages caused by teacher turnover or by employees who are sick or quarantining. As school leaders, it is crucial that we work together to lessen the educator turnover issue to help mitigate staff shortages.

Here are a few recommendations that I have used and found beneficial at my high school.

Shield Teachers from Unnecessary Information

Educators are already overwhelmed with everything that is on their plate, and it is the administration’s job to not overburden them further. To lower stress, filter out everything apart from what is most pressing or necessary to share with teachers, which will help them better manage the information.

Ensure Educators Feel Appreciated

As school leaders, we need to go the extra mile and acknowledge all of the great things that are going on within our schools to bring joy back to the hallways. Small gestures like simply recognizing teachers publicly on a regular basis will help them feel appreciated. Regularly make kind gestures throughout the year to thank teachers, such as putting treats in the teacher workrooms, hosting fun events like Food Truck Fridays or Jeans Day or leaving simple notes thanking them for being there. Simple gestures can go a long way!

Implement Technology to Help Teachers and Students

During the height of the pandemic, educators had a lot of disparate technology resources thrown at them. To simplify the process, decide what technology platforms to use within your building and stick to them. When our school was researching options I saw the value in Kiddom’s digital curriculum platform for continuing a rigorous curriculum, through an in-person, hybrid and remote format, so we chose to implement it for our building. Make sure to provide teachers with plenty of support and training so they feel confident and comfortable using the technology.

Plan for Uncertainty

The forced school closures at the beginning of the pandemic threw many educators for a major loop. Almost overnight, they had to shift their instruction and assessment models to a digital format to support remote learning. Even though things appear to be improving, as a leadership team, now is the time to be proactive and create multiple plans that can easily be implemented so teachers are given enough time to prepare. Teachers are under a lot of stress, so taking the time to plan ahead will provide them with the consistent and clear communication that they need should another quick-transition situation occur.

Compensate Teachers for Their Time After School

Some teachers would be open to the chance to make some extra money by participating in after-school activities, such as leading an after school program, voicing their thoughts at collaborative planning sessions, or personal development opportunities. We have several teachers who volunteer to help students preview material, which supports both the teachers, who can earn extra money, and students, who may have some gaps in their learning due to lack of exposure with the inconsistencies of attending school.

Even though school districts are approaching normalcy, staff shortages will continue to occur for the foreseeable future. School leaders must make sure that teachers are heard and are adequately supported as everyone is working together to ensure that students’ needs are being met. This is not something that can be put off any longer and now is the time to act. Organize a team to support and implement these ideas, which will help school districts retain our incredible educators.