Curbing K-12 Turnover: The Role of Stay Conversations and Exit Interviews

It might not be the news we want to hear, but it’s the truth: even after the height of the pandemic, K-12 education continues to see both teacher turnover and school leader vacancies. 

According to recent research, K-12 teacher vacancies have increased to 55,000 vacant positions nationwide this year—up from 36,000 in 2023. Principal retention has also become more challenging, with over 17% of principals either leaving their roles altogether, or moving on to a different school or role. Research via the National Teacher and Principal Survey also found that principals with a decade or more of experience left their roles at higher rates than those with fewer than three years on the job—14.7% compared to 7.6%. 

When highly skilled and tenured K-12 staff move on from their roles, it’s a big loss. Schools and districts not only miss out on educators who are deeply engaged with students, they lose the institutional knowledge of leaders. It affects the fabric of the community as well. 

When highly skilled and tenured K-12 staff move on from their roles, it’s a big loss. Schools and districts not only miss out on educators who are deeply engaged with students, they lose the institutional knowledge of leaders.

With that said, you might wonder: how can you ensure you’re doing everything you can to get your high-performing teachers or school principals to stay? And if you can’t get them to stay, how can you do better for the individual who replaces them? 

The answer could lie in having meaningful and consistent conversations with your teachers, staff, and principals—specifically, by conducting stay and exit interviews. When done consistently and with intention, these two actions over the short- and long-term may shift the trajectory of K-12 employee retention challenges. Let’s compare their impact.

Stay interviews vs. exit conversations: what’s the difference?

At a high level, stay conversations are typically used for retention, while exit interviews are used to shape a better school or district experience for staff and teachers who are hired in the future.  

Stay conversations are structured, proactive conversations that school and district leaders can have with their teachers and leaders to understand how they're feeling about their work at the moment, what they’d like to see changed, and whether they’re considering moving on. It’s more than an informal one-on-one conversation—it’s about being intentional with the questions you ask as well as your approach. These stay conversations aren’t conversations you have with all of your educators, either. They’re specifically for the ones you deem irreplaceable.

Exit interviews, in contrast, are discussions with departing employees, the educators and leaders you know for sure are departing your school or district. Feedback is the goal of exit interviews, with the purpose of improving school culture and addressing concerns in the future. 

At a high level, stay conversations are typically used for retention, while exit interviews are used to shape a better school or district experience for staff and teachers who are hired in the future. 

Having stay conversations and exit interviews are worth your while for the impact they have on retention and recruitment alone—but there are other benefits to having them below: 

Benefits and predictable challenges of stay interviews

Here are a few reasons to prioritize stay conversations:

• To gather insights: Having stay conversations allows you to understand teacher experience: their motivations, wishes for change, and current levels of satisfaction. As the adage goes, we don’t know until we ask—and when we ask, we can better identify what we can do to address concerns and encourage them to stay.
• To build empathy and trust: According to a recent Hanover Research report, only 37% of teachers think their district leaders demonstrate empathy, compared to 79% of district leaders who believe they do. As school or district leader, that’s probably a wider gap than you’d like. A genuine interest in teacher well-being through stay conversations can enhance this trust. 
• To identify problems and new ideas: Because of the open dialogue that stay conversations create—and the trust they build—teachers and staff are more likely to convey what’s effective and what’s not. They allow you an opportunity to not only collaboratively build solutions to those issues, but also create a sense of accountability. It’s a type of dialogue that will also make your team members more comfortable in bringing new ideas to you. 

According to a recent Hanover Research report, only 37% of teachers think their district leaders demonstrate empathy, compared to 79% of district leaders who believe they do. As school or district leader, that’s probably a wider gap than you’d like.

Of course, there are a few challenges with stay conversations that you can anticipate and work around:

• Time and resource intensive: Stay conversations require deliberate scheduling and planning—they can't be a task that perpetually falls off your to do list. Fully embracing a “stay strategy”—identifying candidates for conversations, conducting discussions, and acting on feedback – takes time and energy for school leaders like you who are already time-strapped. If it helps, keep in mind that retaining a top-notch teacher or principal requires less time and effort than recruiting and hiring a new one. 
• Confidentiality concerns: It can be challenging for teachers, staff, and leaders to be both transparent and confidential in the same meeting, especially if it’s with the person they report to. To help ease concerns, keep it informal, and let those you speak with know you’re focused on understanding how they’re feeling and how you can support them.
• Unresolvable issues: Some of the feedback that gets brought to your attention might be beyond your control—and you either know that when you’re having the stay conversation or uncover it as you’re trying to improve the situation. In these cases, a stay interview might prompt frustration over the unresolved issue, which can work against the end goal.

For examples of the kinds of questions to ask employees in stay interviews, take a look at our School and District Leader’s Guide to Having Stay Conversations. ‍

Benefits and predictable challenges of exit interviews

Exit interviews have their own set of advantages, including:

• To gather insights: Not surprisingly, this benefit has something in common with stay conversations. When your departing staff member takes the time to give honest feedback about school or district decision-making, communication, or inclusivity, it gives education leaders the data they need to identify patterns and prevent further attrition.
• To give a double dose of closure: Offering an exit interview can provide closure for departing teachers, staff, and school leaders, allowing them to express concerns or grievances and wrap up what was most likely a significant part of their role. Similarly, you no doubt can remember a few times when you were blindsided by a resignation. Making time for these conversations can create closure for both parties, and leave the door open for returning. 
• To improve school culture: The feedback gleaned from an exit interview can help school and district leaders identify patterns that may be contributing to educator or staff dissatisfaction. This data can allow you to proactively address systemic issues—and implement action plans to improve them—to strengthen school culture and drive more student success, too.

The feedback gleaned from an exit interview can help school and district leaders identify patterns that may be contributing to educator or staff dissatisfaction. This data can allow you to proactively address systemic issues.

There are also challenges to anticipate and navigate:

• Timing: An exit interview is often conducted after a teacher or school leader sets their mind on leaving. If this is the first time you’re hearing about a particular issue, it’s unlikely that there’s time to take any actions or provide the support necessary to sway someone’s decision. Most exit interviews take place at the end of the year which is already a busy time. Making a commitment to conduct exit interviews adds to an education leader’s plate, which is  probably already heaping. 
• Potential lack of candidness: Once an educator or leader has made the decision to leave, they may not want to invest much time and effort in sharing meaningful insights. They might be fearful of burning bridges or focused on their next steps. To overcome this potential challenge, prioritize psychological safety and let your teachers and leaders know that you’re looking for them to speak up with their ideas, questions, or concerns so that you can use their honest feedback to improve. 

For a great list of exit interview questions you can tailor to your specific school or district, head here. 

Stay conversations and exit interviews: both powerful tools for gathering insight

With teacher shortages and K-12 turnover in schools continuing to be an issue, you might wonder: will these conversations with my irreplaceable educators truly make a difference?

Absolutely. Stay and exit interviews—though different in their approach—can both serve as powerful tools for education leaders to ensure their teachers and staff are heard, seen, and understood, not only throughout the school year, but at the end of their journey with your school or district community.

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