Solution #1 for teacher recruitment and retention is salary and benefits, and that’s typically outside a principal’s control. However, what truly keeps educators committed to a school is the culture they experience every day. The most effective recruitment and retention strategy any leader can invest in is building a culture where teachers feel valued, supported, and connected.
-by Dr. Tim Grivois, Executive Director
Why Educators Show Up for PD (And how PD Could Be a Powerful Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy)
“I signed up for this session (on compassion fatigue) thinking I could blow it off and grade papers, but this was the most important PD of my career.”
“I have an interview 30 minutes after this PD ends, and I’m here anyway because your sessions are the best interview prep I could do.”
“I was going to call in sick today, but I saw you on the calendar and decided not to miss out.”
These are the kinds of things teachers have said to me after professional development. Since founding TGS Educational Consulting in 2020, getting paid to lead sessions teachers actually look forward to has been an honor.
But here’s the truth: leading PD is only about 20% of what I do. The rest of my work is split between outreach to new schools (30%) and nurturing relationships with current clients (50%). While the visible part of my job is professional learning, the most important part is building the relationships that make adult learning possible. It’s also clear that effective PD can be a powerful teacher recruitment and retention strategy.
What Principals Really Spend Their Time On
We often call principals instructional leaders. And yes, school leaders spend a big part of the day on walk-throughs, teacher observations, PLCs, and even leading professional development themselves.
But if you look closely at the calendar, most principals spend about 80% of their time doing something less visible: building relationships.
No one cares what happens in PD until they know you care about them. And while that may sound obvious, what’s less obvious is this:
The time you spend on relationships is not just the foundation for learning. It’s also your school’s most powerful teacher recruitment and teacher retention strategy.
Why Culture Attracts and Keeps Great People
When families choose a school, they’re not only looking at test scores, course offerings, or sports programs. They pay attention to how teachers talk about their work, how staff treat each other, and whether the school feels like a place where people genuinely want to be.
The same is true for teachers. Yes, salary and benefits matter tremendously for teacher recruitment and retention. But what matters most is school culture. Teachers stay where they feel known, supported, and connected.
- Culture convinces a teacher on the edge of burnout to give it one more year.
- Culture makes a new hire confident they’re in the right place.
- Culture draws families back year after year because they know their child is more than a test score.
Culture Doesn’t Happen by Accident
Strong school culture is built in quiet moments:
- Taking time to listen.
- Investing in relationships.
- Making decisions that show people they matter as humans before anything else.
The PD sessions teachers remember most aren’t the ones packed with frameworks and strategies. They’re the ones where educators felt safe, seen, and connected to each other.
The same is true for schools. Instruction, leadership, and initiatives all matter — but without a culture where people want to belong, none of it sticks. With a strong culture, recruitment becomes easier, retention becomes natural, and teaching and learning become sustainable.
School culture is the one teacher recruitment and retention investment that pays off everywhere else.
The One Investment That Pays Off Everywhere
If you want teachers to stay, start with culture.
If you want families to choose your school, start with culture.
If you want professional development to matter, start with culture.