Addressing International Teacher Shortages: Stress, Leadership Gaps, and System-Level Retention Strategies
Teacher shortages have emerged as a global workforce crisis affecting education systems across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. While policy responses have largely focused on recruitment pipelines, evidence consistently indicates that attrition driven by occupational stress, leadership capacity gaps, and inadequate institutional conditions remains the primary driver of shortages. This presentation reports findings from a comparative literature synthesis examining teacher attrition across multiple international contexts, drawing on peer-reviewed research, policy analyses, and workforce data from OECD nations and emerging education systems.
The review analyzed studies addressing three interconnected dimensions: (1) stress-related exit patterns and their organizational antecedents, (2) leadership preparation frameworks and their capacity to identify and mitigate educator burnout, and (3) system-level policy alignment between workforce entry and retention strategies. Sources were selected based on recency (2010–2025), geographic diversity, and relevance to retention outcomes. From this synthesis, a three-tier Retention-Centered Leadership Framework was developed, organizing actionable strategies at the classroom, school, and policy levels. The framework positions leadership awareness, structural organizational supports, and policy coherence as interdependent conditions for workforce sustainability. Findings suggest that sustainable responses to teacher shortages require a fundamental reorientation of leadership expectations and policy design — from recruitment-centered to retention-centered models. This presentation offers implications for school leaders, policymakers, and international education systems seeking evidence-informed strategies for long-term educator workforce stability.

Authors:
Twianie Roberts, Tennessee State University, United States
Sonya Johnson, Metro Nashville Public Schools, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Twianie Roberts, Fulbright Specialist and Assistant Professor at Tennessee State University, researches leadership preparation, teacher retention, doctoral persistence, and institutional redesign in educator development.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-twianie-roberts-50386934/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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