Over the past several years, our teams have had the opportunity to interview and support dozens of educators across the career continuum — from teacher candidates and first-year teachers to veteran teacher leaders and school administrators. One theme has emerged with remarkable consistency, particularly among Gen Z educators entering the profession:

Educators want support. Not less accountability. Not lower expectations. Not easier work.

Support.

They want support to become better teachers. Support navigating increasingly complex classrooms. Support to build sustainable careers. Support to remain in a profession they entered because they care deeply about children.

In conversation after conversation, we have heard versions of the same message: “I want to be great at this, but I need help getting there.”

That insight should fundamentally reshape how we think about the education profession and its workforce. Too often, discussions about teacher shortages focus on recruitment.

The real challenge is not simply attracting people to education — it is creating conditions that encourage them to stay, grow and thrive.

Support for Early Career Educators

Educator preparation pathways that yield the most effective teachers prioritize strong clinical experience, comprehensive mentoring, and subject-specific training. Research indicates that high-retention pathways, such as year-long teacher residencies, consistently produce teachers who have a greater impact on student achievement. Clinical practice quality and length is the strongest predictor of aspiring teacher readiness and effectiveness. Program alignment and coherence between coursework and the reality of today’s schools also matter.

High-quality mentors significantly improve retention and performance of early career teachers. In addition, coaching and other professional, collaborative supports help more new teachers stay in the profession and become more effective in the classroom. Students benefit academically, schools become more stable, and districts save resources that would otherwise be spent on replacing educators.

Support is not a perk. It is one of the most powerful retention strategies available.

Support Must Extend Beyond New Teachers

When we talk about educator support, we often focus exclusively on novice teachers. That is important, but it is not enough.

Strong schools depend on strong teacher leaders and effective school leaders. Teacher leaders serve as content and pedagogical experts, mentors, coaches and culture-builders. Yet many are asked to carry these responsibilities without adequate time, training, compensation, or recognition. If we want them to help develop the next generation of educators, we must invest in their success as well.

The same is true for principals and assistant principals. School leaders shape working conditions more than almost any other factor. They establish culture and working conditions, create opportunities for collaboration, provide meaningful feedback and instructional leadership, ensure teachers have the resources they need to succeed and positively impact students.

When school leaders are unsupported, teachers feel it.

When school leaders are developed, coached and empowered, to be strong instructional, operational and culture leaders, the entire school community benefits.

Supporting teachers and supporting leaders are not separate strategies. They are inseparable components of a healthy school system.

What Real Support Looks Like

The educators we speak with rarely ask for grand gestures. Instead, they describe practical support that helps them improve their craft and sustain their commitment:

• High-quality preparation that includes meaningful clinical experiences before becoming the teacher of record or head principal
• Multi-year induction and mentoring programs for new teachers and new leaders
• Dedicated time for collaboration, reflection, and professional learning
• Instructional or leadership coaching with actionable feedback
• Access to resources and data that inform practice
• Clear career pathways that allow excellent educators to lead while remaining connected to teaching
• Recognition of expertise and opportunities for advancement
• Compensation that reflects the professionalism and importance of the work

These are not isolated initiatives. Together, they create a professional environment where educators can experience autonomy, mastery and purpose — the very conditions that research shows drive engagement and retention across professions.

If We Want Better Outcomes for Students, We Must Invest in Educators

Every conversation about student achievement eventually leads back to the adults serving students every day.

If we want stronger schools, we need stronger support systems. If we want students to thrive, we need educators who are thriving. If we want to address shortages and improve retention, we need to move beyond viewing support as an optional add-on and begin treating it as core infrastructure for the profession.

The Gen Z educators our team interviewed are not asking for less. In many ways, they are asking for more — more opportunities to learn, more meaningful feedback, more collaboration and more investment in their growth.

That should give us hope. They are telling us they want to stay. Our responsibility is to build systems that make staying possible.

See SREB’s report on Systems of Support for Teachers and Leaders, plus their new resources on teacher and school leader induction, mentoring and support. Also see our research studies on early career educators and more.