The challenges around teacher retention are manifold. Schools and districts around the country are looking for ways to retain top teaching talent. They want to make sure all of the educators in their communities have ample support. One way to boost teacher retention is through high-quality, effective professional learning.
Earlier this year, I had the chance to chat with Lori K. Lynch, Vice President of Professional Learning at Britannica Education, on my Easy EdTech Podcast. You can listen to the conversation “How Microlearning is Reshaping Professional Development – Bonus Episode with Britannica Education” right here on the web. Or you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or another favorite podcast app.
During the conversation, Lori and I talked about the current state of professional learning in schools. She shares how it impacts a teacher’s experience and agency in the classroom, and the transformative concept of microlearning and its influence on education. Today on the blog, we’ll take a closer look at how Britannica Education helps retain top teaching talent with professional learning.
Teacher Retention Through Professional Learning
Retaining exceptional educators is a challenge that many schools and districts face. McKinsey research published earlier this year shared how almost a third of K–12 educators in the United States were considering leaving their position. “Over the past decade, the annual teacher turnover rate has hovered around 8 percent nationally and is more than double that for schools designated for Title 1 funding.”
Professional development plays a crucial role in retaining educators. If teacher retention is a priority for your school or district, it is important to consider what choices are being made at both levels to support classroom educators. On the blog this spring, I shared Britannica’s approach to professional learning. Let’s dive deeper into the teacher retention connection.
Britannica’s Approach to Professional Learning
Britannica Education offers a comprehensive suite of professional learning experiences for schools and districts. These tailored professional learning solutions are designed to elevate teaching practices and directly impact student learning. Every school and district has unique needs, so they have a comprehensive suite of professional learning experiences with three service pillars. The three service pillars are Activate, Enhance, and Grow. These three pillars help ensure that the needs of your school community are met throughout the implementation of your professional learning initiative.
Empowering Educators from Day One
The first pillar of Britannica’s approach to professional learning is Activate. Britannica’s Activation services support new educators. This includes implementation assistance, self-paced training modules, and live webinars. In the research I mentioned above, they stated that “Of the teachers ages 25 to 34 that we surveyed, 38 percent say they plan to leave, compared with about 30 percent of older educators.”
Since Britannica’s Activation services support new educators, you can address teacher retention concerns that might appear further down the pipeline without delay. Newer educators will get support right away through the Activate pillar of Britannica Professional Learning.
Strengthening Pedagogical Expertise
The second pillar of Britannica’s approach to professional learning is Enhance. Britannica’s Enhance workshops help educators improve their teaching practices. These workshops focus on real-world classroom experience and research-based methods. The Enhance workshops focus on the core competencies that are most important to your school community.
Teachers with all levels of experience and expertise need to feel supported throughout the school year. Britannica Professional Learning conducts workshops developed and facilitated by its team of educators. They use their experience in the classroom to support their work alongside teachers.
Building Internal Capacity
The third pillar of Britannica’s approach to professional learning is Grow. Britannica’s Growth Services help build internal capacity at your school or district. They offer tailored programs and continuous evaluations to ensure ongoing growth and development.
If teacher retention is a priority this year, the Growth services ensure the work aligns with your curriculum and standards while building capacity in your teaching community at the same time. This pillar supports educators as part of an ongoing process. One thing that makes this pillar so important during conversations around teacher retention is how it provides ongoing support so teachers have what they need to succeed throughout the school year.
Professional Learning to Support Teacher Retention
Ready to get started with professional learning solutions from Britannica Education? Head to this page to get all the details on how to get started. You’ll find information on the three pillars and the steps for setting up a time to chat with a representative on the Britannica Education team. If you are making teacher retention a priority this year, you’ll undoubtedly want to check out what they have to offer!
