School leaders don’t just influence whether a new teacher has a long, successful teaching career — they can decide their professional fate even before their first day. Leaders are pivotal for all teachers and particularly new teachers. They establish the conditions that all teachers work within and that new teachers are immersed in from the start of their careers. Recruiting, supporting and retaining new teachers is crucial work for school leaders. 

If leaders throw new teachers into the ‘deep end’ on day one with no support in sight, teachers will struggle to swim, wear out quickly and most likely sink. But if school leaders allow new teachers to ease into the shallow end, surrounded by strong support, teachers can gain confidence, build strength and ultimately thrive in deeper waters. With intentional scaffolding, leaders don’t just help them survive — they set them up to thrive. 

School leaders are responsible for providing strong induction experiences for novice teachers to ease them into the deep end. Many districts, such as Richland District 2 in South Carolina, recognize that in addition to specific actions targeted toward new teachers for induction in their first three years, there are also underlying conditions that school and district leaders curate for all teachers. 

The Southern Regional Education Board has identified the key conditions for success, laying a path for educators to positively impact their students.  

Leaders can create these environmental conditions for all teachers as a foundation to build teacher induction upon. We’ve also identified key actions leaders can take, specifically targeted at helping new teachers succeed in the school’s environment.

Key Leadership Conditions to Support Teachers 

A Supportive Culture 

• Encouraging Environments: Strong instructional leaders create a collaborative environment where teachers feel valued and respected. They foster a collective mission for staff focused on reaching each student. Good leaders help teachers commit to regular self-reflection and a cycle of continuous improvement centered around high-quality instruction and positive student outcomes. Effective leaders promote a culture of respect and positive relationships among staff and students. They foster collaboration among staff and students. A positive instructional climate and culture is essential for teachers’ and students’ success.  

Strong leaders also promote policies that encourage a healthy work-life balance, such as reasonable workloads and flexible scheduling options. They develop programs to recognize and celebrate the achievements of new teachers, boosting morale and motivation. They establish open lines of communication for teachers to ask questions, express concerns and share ideas, and advocate for competitive salaries and benefits aligned with the local market and cost of living and teacher advancement options.   

• Collaborative Planning Time: Strong instructional leaders schedule regular time for teachers to collaborate, share resources and develop lesson plans together. They encourage teamwork among teachers through structured collaborative planning time, professional learning communities, and multi-classroom teaming. They establish a regular communication pattern for teacher teaming information to be shared with the school leader and entire faculty. Effective leaders know that a culture of professional collaboration designed around sharing and improving instructional practices can have a great impact on students and teachers. 
• Regular Check-Ins: Strong instructional leaders establish multiple, clear communication channels for teachers. They schedule frequent one-on-one meetings to discuss progress, challenges and any support a teacher may need. They involve themselves purposely with new teachers, meeting with them at least monthly to make sure they have a sense of belonging in the school community and are receiving the support they need to be successful. Effective leaders ask reflective questions of teachers, like “How are you progressing with establishing routines, delivering instruction, reviewing student work, classroom discipline, and so on?” and “How can I help?” They also follow up with teachers about their answers to these questions.  

Growth Mindset 

• Teacher Leadership: Strong instructional leaders understand the importance of fostering a growth mindset in their staff. They recognize that many teachers want the opportunity to lead and make a difference in their schools. Offering opportunities for teacher leadership can positively impact teacher retention. Effective leaders establish structures for teachers to lead other teachers, providing training and coaching to teacher leaders as needed. This can ensure a cadre of experienced educators who can serve as effective mentors who support new teachers. 
• Professional Learning: Strong instructional leaders establish a culture of evidence-based instructional improvement aligned with the vision and goals of the school. They establish annual or multi-year priorities and goals. Effective school leaders establish the expectation that all teachers participate in professional learning. They understand the importance of being one of the chief leaders of professional learning themselves. They establish release time for professional learning, planning, mentoring, coaching, conferencing and classroom observation.  

Instructional Infrastructure 

• Data Use: Strong instructional leaders set clear expectations for teaching practices and student outcomes, providing a roadmap for new teachers to follow. They encourage teachers to use multiple forms of formative and summative data to monitor student outcomes daily, weekly and monthly to target improvement priorities and instructional practices. 
• Adequate Classroom Resources: Strong instructional leaders ensure new teachers have access to the materials and technology they need to succeed in the classroom. Effective leaders help all teachers plan instructional units that identify and select multiple resources to address standards for a prioritized and mapped curriculum.   
• Clear and Supportive Behavior Management System: Strong instructional leaders implement a consistent and supportive behavior management system that reduces classroom disruptions. Teachers need administrative support in immediate and long-term resolution of student discipline issues. Strong leaders follow up with teachers to provide information and feedback and to answer questions. 

9 Actions to Support and Empower New Teachers 

To create the kind of school environment that supports and empowers new teachers, strong instructional leaders should consider the following actions. 

1. Provide Comprehensive Onboarding: Onboarding is not a single event; it is a series of carefully designed actions and opportunities across the first year. Good school leaders are purposeful about developing a structured orientation and welcoming agenda (such as a set of activities) that introduces new teachers to the school culture, policies and quality resources available. New teachers should not feel isolated or alone. Strong leaders provide many opportunities to help assimilate new teachers into the community of the staff and school. Leaders help new teachers feel welcomed, wanted and valued (like icebreakers, team building or wellness ).  
2. Assign (and Support) Mentors: A formal induction and mentorship system ensures new teachers are guided by experienced teachers through their first several years of teaching. New teachers receive the guidance, support and encouragement they need to be successful. When possible, leaders should assign a trained mentor to new teachers aligned with their content area or teaching team. Leaders should support mentor teachers with professional learning, coaching and collaboration. They should also require accountability from the mentors, with monthly communication protocols to intervene early with problem- and people-driven support when needed, and to work in concert with the principal to take necessary action to support the success of new teachers.   
3. Address Classroom Management: New teachers need targeted training in classroom management strategies that build their confidence, promote instructional effectiveness and establish classroom routines and rituals. They need opportunities to learn about effective student engagement strategies that decrease behavior disruptions. 
4. Protect New Teachers’ Time: Principals make the schedule for all teachers. For novice teachers, consider lighter student loads, teaching assignments and extra duty assignments. Consider having new teachers shadow and support experienced teachers in duty schedules during their first semester or year. New teachers need protected planning time, collaboration time, manageable class sizes, and limited non-teaching duties even more than established teachers to set them up for long-term success. 
5. Encourage Feedback: School leaders should establish regular check-ins and feedback loops to understand new teachers’ experiences and challenges. This would include classroom observations by leaders and peers as well as allowing the new teacher to observe and even co-teach with experienced colleagues. Effective leaders provide structures to support this. 
6. Offer Professional Learning Aligned to Teachers’ Needs: Offering targeted professional learning (like workshops, PLCs or coaching) ensures all new teachers receive access to the strategies they need to be successful in their first years of teaching. (Don’t forget – Mentor teachers need professional learning, too.)  
7. Connect Teachers to Counseling and Support Services: School leaders can provide information on mental health resources and counseling services for stress management and emotional support.  
8. Recognize Achievements: School leaders should regularly celebrate the accomplishments of all teachers, which boosts morale and reinforces their contributions to the school community. New teachers particularly need regular affirmation and feedback.
9. Involve New Teachers in Decision-Making: Strong leaders solicit feedback from new and experienced teachers on school success strategies. Giving teachers a voice in decisions can enhance their investment in the school community.  

By implementing these nine actions, leaders at the district and school level can create an environment for new teacher success, with benefits for experienced teachers along the way. Which one of these conditions will you strengthen next school year? Your new teachers — and your students — are counting on it. 

To learn more about this topic, make sure to check out our Teacher Induction page, where we share our framework and research along with other helpful induction resources.