School transformation only works went teachers are part of the process.

Transforming School Culture Through Actionable Insights

Let’s be real: Staff engagement and retention are not optional anymore.

If you’re leading a school today, listening and taking action isn’t just nice. It’s survival.

A staff survey through some professional consulting firm can’t just sit and gather dust. That data is filled with time, attention, and people’s feelings.

In a personal relationship, ignoring feedback leads to a lack of trust and engagement. It’s the same thing in a professional relationship. Feedback can’t be ignored. It better lead to action.

Yeah, times are tight. Money is limited. Staff are hard to find and retain.

The problems in education can’t be ignored.

So, why does feedback get collected, neatly packaged, and then…you guessed it, get ignored?

Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Why does data sit there? This is reflective and needed, but most districts we work with need a different question.

The how question.

How can we go from data to real implementation?

After all, implementing feedback is the foundation of meaningfully transforming school cultures.

Below is our approach to addressing a few key issues in navigating how to go from data to implementation as it relates to teacher retention.

Beyond Salary: What Truly Drives Teacher Retention?

Communication, Fairness, and Transparency

Teacher retention isn’t just about salary. It never has been.

Sure, pay matters. But staying in a job isn’t just about a paycheck. It’s about purpose.

Teachers stick around when they feel valued.They need to see and hear their impact and value.

So, what can schools do when budgets are tight? The answer isn’t just throwing money at the problem. It’s about shifting the approach and communication around money.

Districts have an option to build around purpose and value by using distributed leader models that are not superficial. This means giving leadership capacity, with parameters, to staff to drive changes they wish to see.

For leaders, this means being responsive, not directive where possible. Instructional leadership is one place this can happen. How do you do this? You cultivate a strong relationship with teacher leaders by establishing clear boundaries that guide collaboration in executing the instructional vision.

This shows respect through empowerment and support of career growth, and secondarily,gives purpose and builds teacher impact on their own environment.

Cheer and champion all the good you see by as many as possible. It’s called recognition. Everyone needs it.

There is no secret to buy-in: Empowering teachers by involving them in leadership decisions strengthens their connection to the school and its mission (Source). A few examples below show the impact of meaningful action taken to close the gaps in communication and meaning.

Case Study 1: Teacher Voice and Oconto Falls Public Schools

After staff surveys revealed frustration over feeling unheard, the district implemented staff advisory teams, where respected teachers helped influence decisions. By integrating educator voices into policy changes, they improved buy-in and engagement (Source).

Case Study 2: Teach Pay

Take Kettle Moraine School District. They didn’t just tweak salaries - they revamped their entire administrative structure, making pay progression clearer and fairer. And guess what? Satisfaction went up (Source).

Oconto Falls Public Schools took another route: tying compensation to real professional growth. Clear benchmarks, structured development, and transparent communication gave staff confidence in their career paths. Even without massive pay hikes (Source)!

While these will not work for all schools, a form of this type of distributed leadership, with direct action related to purpose, can be designed in any school.

The takeaway? Fair pay matters, but transparency, recognition, and career growth matter just as much.

Respect, transparency, and career growth lead to teacher retention.

Turning Insights Into Action: A Human-Centered Approach

Show it. Talk about it. Act on it.

How does it feel when you are having a conversation with someone who is on their phone, not looking at you.

It’s horrible.

The same goes for staff and community surveys.

A survey isn’t just a formality. It’s time, energy, and honesty. They are filled with things that deserve real follow-through.

Nothing kills engagement and trust faster than asking for input and doing nothing with it.

The time and energy people put into surveys and listening sessions needs to be honored. When data is gathered but not acted on, it creates a disconnect. This leaves people feeling unheard and undervalued.

A school district we consulted with recently used School Perceptions to gather staff data. They employ comprehensive survey tools allowing staff and the community to voice concerns and highlight strengths. The stellar job they do using best practices allowed us to seamlessly transition to building an implementation plan with administration and staff.

Bad data leads to bad planning and implementation. Whoever you choose for a survey company should be able to provide clear and direct data that leads to tangible action.

Here are a few best practices we like to focus on when it comes to data and our approach. Take what you like.

Best Practices for Feedback Analysis:

Start with quantitative data to identify overarching trends (Source).
Analyze qualitative comments to uncover deeper insights and recurring themes (Source).
Contextualize survey results by comparing feedback from different stakeholder groups, such as students, staff, and parents (Source).

When the survey results are in hand… Show it. Talk about it. Act on it.

This type of integrative action makes data human-centered.

Acknowledging concerns, rather than dismissing them, fosters trust and engagement. The impact is clear: schools that actively respond to staff feedback encourage ongoing participation, leading to greater satisfaction and morale for staff, students, and families (Source).

Any strategic plan, action plan, or change to be made….or not to be made…needs to be related to the data. If a new strategic plan is coming, it should reflect the data explicitly. Put it in print, speak to staff and students about it, send a few emails.

This is good, old fashioned communication: show and tell.

> Key Takeaway: Leaders who transparently communicate action plans based on survey results build trust and enhance retention.

Transparent communication builds connection and authenticity. This all leads to trust

Actionable Strategies: How Leaders Can Drive Change

A Process for Action

Moving from data to action isn’t as easy as one might think.

Leadership can only do so much. As the saying goes, it takes two to tangle. And in most cases, even more than that.

It’s this perceived complexity that often leads to an over-complication or over-simplification in implementation planning.

Consider these few hard truths.

First, leadership actions from survey data to implementation need to be participatory. This means those in the data need, to some degree, be involved in implementing the changes needed.

This is hard for many leadership groups to do as they don’t have experience with or systems in place to be inclusive and participatory. Inherently, it’s not their fault. Everyone can’t know everything. Participatory leadership models are not widely used and appreciated.

What cool thought, is research links participatory leadership styles to higher satisfaction and student performance (Source). This is the best practice for increasing satisfaction and performance.

Second, implementing change requires the willingness of teachers to also do some work. School culture isn’t done to us. It’s something teachers also create to a degree.

If change is desired, teachers will have to be involved in making that change, reflecting on how they will need to change, and how their perspectives and actions may need adjustment.

Teachers appreciate transparency.

A weekly blog, leadership councils, and visible administration presence helped smaller districts improve communication and reduce staff concerns. Leaders must ensure staff understand why decisions are made—even when disagreements exist (Source).

Consider this model for a process towards change that integrates teachers.

Administer a survey
Process the data with administrators and teacher leaders
Formulate a plan for communication and action steps to take with all staff.
Meet with all staff to go over data, select staff priorities, communicate possibilities, and set commitments for administrators AND staff.
Explicitly schedule check-in points for accountability for all parties.

This method prioritizes staff input and accountability. At the same time, administrators communicate what is possible, work with teacher leaders on implementing change, and each party knows how they are responsible.

Accountability is key. If change is desired, each person needs to know how they individually are responsible for action and outcomes.

> Key Takeaway: When educators feel their voices matter, retention and commitment increase.

People need to feel heard. Leaders who address feedback build stronger connections to the classroom.

Final Thoughts: Elevating Staff Engagement for Long-Term Success

Building trust, recognizing contributions, and fostering clear communication channels are essential. By implementing strategies such as structured pay transparency, data-driven feedback responses, and distributed leadership, districts can create healthier, more engaged educational environments.

Again, this all relates to data that leads to action. Not data that leads to nowhere.

Next Steps: How Schools Can Take Action

✔ Conduct staff surveys and actively analyze recurring themes.

✔ Implement advisory teams for greater staff involvement in decision-making.

✔ Improve transparency in salary structures and workload expectations.

✔ Foster open communication through visible leadership and shared decision-making.

By prioritizing meaningful engagement and responsiveness, school leaders can transform their culture—turning feedback into real progress for educators and students alike.

Sources