What’s Right with Our Schools Addressing Oklahoma’s Teacher Shortage Career coaching, mentorship and early intervention improve
teacher retention BY TIM WILLERT . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
I n recent years, school districts across the country have grappled with a growing teacher retention crisis, with many educators leaving the profession after just one year in the classroom. High stress, limited support and increasing demands have contributed to an alarming turnover rate that disrupts student learning and places added strain on schools. In response, local districts are reevaluating how they recruit, support and retain teachers, recognizing long-term success in education depends on investing in those at the front of the classroom. The scope of the problem Not that long ago, Edmond Public Schools was struggling to find teachers and keep them. As recently as the 2021-22 school year, 70 percent of district secondary teachers and 55 percent of elementary teachers quit following their first year on the job. Moore Public Schools found itself in a similar situation. Six years ago, Oklahoma’s fifth-largest school district relied heavily on first-year teachers who lacked formal training because they had not completed traditional education degree programs. “We became very aware that, like everybody else in Oklahoma, we were having a really hard time securing teachers,” said David Peak, a longtime Moore district administrator who oversees elementary and secondary education and instruction. “The other thing we found was about 70 to 75 percent of our hires came in through a non- traditional track.”
DONDREI WILLIAMS, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION SPECIALIST FOR EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HANDS OUT GIFT BAGS DURING A TEACHER RECRUITMENT BRUNCH.
Many of Moore’s new teachers were hired with emergency or alternative certificates, a direct result of the district facing a teacher shortage, as well as the impact of the pandemic. “They don’t have the first idea about how to teach other than just the social learning they experienced from going to school themselves,” Peak said. “What you see is that you’ve got folks who are perpetuating good and bad habits.” Edmond’s solution: Personal connection Associate Superintendent Randy Decker, who oversees human resources for Edmond Public Schools, turned to Dondrei Williams, a highly organized tech-savvy teacher and coach from Texas, to be the district’s first recruitment and retention specialist. EPS then moved several top teachers into new roles as early career coaches and called on veteran elementary school principal Nicole Marler to lead them.
“What we found … is that in order to retain the next generation of teachers, we needed to make sure that our on-boarding process was more robust,” said Marler. “[Teaching] is a challenging position, even when you’re a veteran. But certainly, when you’re fresh out of college, there’s a big learning curve. There’s a lot of things that you have to get good at quickly in order to be successful.” Edmond’s career coaches are skilled educators and proven leaders whose sole responsibility is to take care of first-year teachers. Because the coaches are not connected to teacher evaluations or building culture, they’re able to be an objective lens to help first-year teachers navigate challenges. Williams also polls teachers during their first year to find out how things are going. “We look at that data and then if there are some things that we need to [change], we get it to the right people that can help make that happen,” Williams said.
12 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025
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