2026 Retention Workshop (Leadership PD)
From Burnout to Belonging: Building Schools Where Educators Thrive and Stay
Dec. 11th- Face to Face
Dec. 12th - Virtual
Select Your Option
9:00am -2:00pm or 9:00am- 2:00PM
Registration Fee: $389.00

From Burnout to Belonging: Building Schools Where Educators Thrive and Stay
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Across the nation, educators are exhausted, overwhelmed, and leaving the profession at alarming rates. Retention isn’t a hiring problem—it’s a culture, leadership, and support problem. From Burnout to Belonging is designed for school and district leaders ready to transform the workplace into a community of purpose, safety, and sustainability.
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This session goes beyond “feel-good SEL” and addresses the real factors that drive educators away: misalignment, toxic culture pockets, inconsistent leadership, and the absence of meaningful support. We help leaders build systems that nurture the whole educator—so teachers don’t just stay… they flourish.
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Participants Will Learn How To:
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Diagnose burnout at the system level, not just individual behavior.
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Identify culture disruptors that quietly erode morale, trust, and teacher efficacy.
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Build SEL systems for adults, so educators are supported, not blamed.
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Design coaching practices that honor teacher humanity, reduce micromanagement, and increase instructional confidence.
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Create belonging pathways for new and veteran educators, including affinity spaces, mentorship, and peer accountability.
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Implement realistic retention moves that leaders can launch within 24–72 hours—without adding more to teachers’ plates.
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Establish feedback loops and communication rhythms that prevent toxicity, resentment, and isolation.
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Align expectations, workload, and support, so teachers experience fairness, clarity, and psychological safety.
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Strengthen school identity and shared purpose, helping teams reconnect to the “why” behind the work.
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Measure retention success, using indicators that capture wellbeing, satisfaction, and staff stability—beyond just end-of-year turnover numbers.
Calling All School Leaders, District Leaders and Administrators
1. The Real Causes of Departure
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Why teachers aren’t leaving for pay alone
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The “invisible fatigue” of emotional labor
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Micromanagement vs. instructional support
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Culture erosion and psychological safety
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2. Adult SEL That Isn’t Fluff
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Why adult wellbeing precedes student wellbeing
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Practices that restore educator humanity
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Boundaries, rest, and sustainable workloads
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Staff-centered design vs. teacher blame culture
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3. Coaching Systems That Retain Talent
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Shifting from “fixing teachers” to building capacity
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High-trust coaching cycles
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Feedback that empowers instead of punishes
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Peer mentorship, affinity spaces, “teacher-to-teacher” support
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4. Culture Moves That Stick
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How belonging beats burnout
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Norms, rituals, and culture anchors
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The 1% rule — microshifts that compound over time
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Joy-building, recognition, and relational capital
5. New Teacher Survival vs. Thriving
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Induction and onboarding that prevent mid-year quitting
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Protecting early-career teachers from toxic teams
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The “first 30 days” blueprint
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Teaching new teachers how to ask for help
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6. Leadership That Keeps People
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Trust accumulation vs. trust burnout
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Authentic leadership vs. performative leadership
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When to support, when to intervene, and how
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Modeling boundaries and stability
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7. Retention by Design, Not Luck
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Data that predicts who is about to leave
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Climate surveys that actually matter
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Red flags in staff morale
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How to intervene early — not after the resignation letter
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8. Protecting Teacher Time
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Removing low-value meetings
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Clarity of expectations
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“Do less but better” frameworks
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Systems for planning, grading, communication, and prep
Topics:
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🌱 Advanced Topics (Perfect for district leaders)
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9. Talent Pipelines & Career Pathways
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How to retain teachers through advancement
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Lead teacher roles, hybrid roles, stipends, micro-credentials
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Internal promotions over external recruitment
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10. Compensation Without Breaking the Budget
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Non-monetary incentives that increase belonging
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Choice, agency, autonomy
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Time banks, flex coverage, spotlight projects
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11. Family & Community as Retention Partners
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Support networks beyond the school
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Parent engagement that relieves pressure instead of adding it
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Community recognition and shared ownership
Retaining Your Teachers and Staff!
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