What does it mean to be irreplaceable in the work world? Some might say it’s a reference to people who do their work at an exceptional or outstanding level. They are known as highflyers, super stars, indispensables and considered critical to the success of the organization. If we lost even one of these people, it would be a great loss to the organization and a real challenge to replace him or her; thus the term Irreplaceable. Irreplaceable teachers are those that have great success with advancing student learning and developing productive relationships with their students, parents of students and with other staff members. They are committed to the advancement of all students and the entire staff. Clearly, we don’t want to lose even one of these key staff members.

Yet, a current research study shows how some principals have lost teachers considered irreplaceable simply by not letting them know how much value they bring to the school. In July of 2012, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) released a report on a study they conducted related to ways to retain the top 20% of teachers, known as the irreplaceables, in large urban school districts. Here is a link to the entire report. Their findings give us all, whether in urban, suburban, large or small school districts, information to reflect on and consider as we close out one school year and prepare for another.

The report shares a story of an elementary teacher named Sarah, who had over three decades of successful results in large urban school districts. She intentionally came to a low performing school district in the south in response to her personal mission to serve students in great need and to share her expertise with others. Almost all of the twenty-four students assigned to her fourth-grade class spoke Spanish at home with limited English skills. However, by the time the spring testing for reading and math took place, all but one of her students passed the math test and all but four passed the reading test. These results were much higher than other classes at her school and throughout the district. Not only did Sarah’s students perform well on the academic exams, they also grew to enjoy school and developed a deep sense of care and concern for each other and for their teacher. Sarah loved working with the students, was committed to them and proud of their accomplishments. She had no intentions of leaving the school. Yet, as the school year came to a close, Sarah felt devalued, having received little recognition from school leaders for her efforts and accomplishments. She had not been asked to share her instructional expertise with others, and received no positive statements or support from leaders for the team-building approaches that helped boost her students’ performance.

In an environment of indifference and isolation, Sarah made the decision to leave the school at the end of the school year. She felt that even though her students had made extraordinary results in one year, their growth would not be sustained or expanded on if they were assigned to a poor teacher the following year.

When Sarah resigned, her principal did not say a word to her, he just signed her paperwork. The saddest part of this whole story is what Sarah had to say about the principal’s reaction. “If he would have said, ‘What’s it going to take for me to get you to stay?’ that’s all he had to do,” she said.

We know that this story is not playing out in the schools where you work and lead. You know the importance of providing your teachers with specific language that represents value for their work, contributions and accomplishments. You would never let an outstanding teacher walk away without finding out what it would take for him or her to stay. You know that your high performing teachers desire to hear you recognize their hard work and accomplishments as you also provide expanded leadership opportunities for them and challenge them to continue to stretch in their work. You know what it takes to keep your outstanding teachers feeling respected and appreciated. For that we thank you!