Increasing Elementary and Middle School Teacher Retention Through Meaningful Distributive Leadership Practices

Oct 15, 2026

Increasing teacher retention is a critical concern in American elementary and middle schools. This qualitative study examines how distributive leadership—emphasizing authentic opportunities and meaningful interactions among leaders, followers, and context—can support school improvement and strengthen teachers’ organizational commitment. The study highlights challenges to the teaching profession, including high annual teacher attrition, reduced enrollment in teacher preparation programs, and the role of supportive leadership practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed for educational leaders and principals.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Background of the Study

Teacher retention as an urgent concern

The challenge of leadership complexity

Distributive leadership as a potential solution

Study implications and connections

Increasing Elementary and Middle School Teacher Retention Through Meaningful Distributive Leadership Practices Aimee Sulit Scottsdale Unified School District Frank D. Davidson Northern Arizona University Distributive leadership is a prominent leadership framework within the twenty-first century. Focusing on authentic leadership opportunities, distributive leadership explores the unique interactions between leaders, followers and situations. Promoting teachers as meaningful leaders within a school setting, distributive leadership has been shown to have a positive impact on school improvement. As teacher retention continues to surface as a predominant concern in American schools, distributive leadership may offer a potential solution. This qualitative study identified various connections between distributive leadership as it impacts elementary and middle school teacher retention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. ICPEL Education Leadership Review, Vol. 21, No. 1– December, 2020 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2020 International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership The construct of leadership is often welcomed with a multitude of definitions, perceptions, and experiences. Leadership in education is often misunderstood, as previous models emphasize approaches that place principals in the center of schoolwide change. As teams of educational leaders are often required to address the vast intellectual and emotional needs of students, teachers and the surrounding community, this perception of the principal as “heroic leader” is no longer acceptable (Yukl, 1999) . In addition to developing procedures to support the day-to-day school operations, principals are often tasked with a multitude of responsibilities – ranging from ensuring student safety, developing efficient procedures for the day-to-day school operations, monitoring students’ academic and emotional success, assessing teachers’ instructional delivery, supporting families with locating community resources, revising educational policy, and providing a vision for the future. Given the expansive role of leadership within the school setting, no one individual is equipped to lead (Burke, Fiore, & Salas, 2003) . The role of the educational leader has likely never been so complex. At the same time, the role of the teacher is becoming increasingly challenging. Amidst national protests from teachers who are fed-up with the profession, teacher retention is gaining momentum as a profound concern. It’s no longer just a hunch that teachers are frustrated. In 2012, the University Council for Educational Administration found that “16% of the teacher workforce, or almost 500,000 teachers, left their school each year”(Castro, Quinn, Fuller, & Barnes, 2018, p. 1) . This statistic is especially alarming when we consider that “90% of the nationwide annual demand for teachers stems from when teachers leave the profession,”(Castro, et al., 2018, p. 1) . With a “10% decline in national teacher preparation program enrollment from 2004 to 2012,” the future of the teaching profession is at risk (Castro et al., 2018, p. 1) . The future of the teaching profession is desperate for help. Teacher retention is a complex issue that likely will not be solved by one great idea. Rather, supporting teacher retention requires additional attention at the multifaced root of the concern. Addressing teacher retention may very well require the education profession to pull back the metaphorical curtain on effective leadership. Over the years, publication after publication has documented the tremendous connection between teacher retention and administrative support (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Glaser, 2003; Hirsch, Emerick, Church & Fuller, 2007; Loeb, Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005) . It would be prematurely dismissive to overlook the impact of a supportive site administrator or principal. Additionally, the literature points to a distinct relationship between principal leadership and teach

FAQs

What does distributive leadership mean in this study?

Distributive leadership is described as a leadership framework that examines authentic opportunities and the interactions among leaders, followers, and situations. It supports promoting teachers as meaningful leaders in school settings.

Why is teacher retention presented as an urgent issue?

The document cites high rates of teachers leaving each year and a projected gap in the number of teachers available for hire. It also links retention challenges to staffing pressures, especially in hard-to-staff schools.

What connections does the qualitative study identify regarding retention?

The study identifies connections between distributive leadership and how it impacts elementary and middle school teacher retention. It also discusses relationships between leadership, organizational commitment, and overall education quality.

Oct 15, 2026

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