It's a Rap

Across New York State last week, classrooms were filled with celebrations: bulletin boards covered in kind words, carts of snacks making their rounds, surprise coffee deliveries, catered lunches and heartfelt notes from students and families. It’s a beautiful moment and one that’s well deserved.

But it also raises an important question: why just once a year ?

Teachers change lives every day. Teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a daily act of service, leadership, care, creativity, and resilience. Educators do so much more than deliver lessons they build relationships, nurture student identity and confidence, and lay the foundation for our future workforce. Their impact stretches far beyond their classroom ‘home’, into the communities they serve.

So while Teacher Appreciation Week is a meaningful time to pause and say ‘thank you, we appreciate you’, we have to ask ourselves: how are we valuing teachers the rest of the year?

How we support and uplift educators on a daily basis doesn’t just affect teacher morale. It shapes student success, influences school culture, and determines the sustainability of the profession itself.

And the data backs it up

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) has found that access to well-prepared, experienced teachers is one of the strongest predictors of student achievement. In under-resourced schools, the difference is even more stark. LPI notes that students in these schools are more likely to have novice, underprepared teachers, which exacerbates opportunity gaps.

LPI’s research, along with others, consistently shows that positive school climates where teachers feel valued, have autonomy, and collaborate—are strongly linked to teacher retention.

Some key takeaways:

• Over 90% of teacher demand is due to attrition, not new positions. The most common reasons: lack of support and dissatisfaction with working conditions.
• High-retention pathways, like teacher residencies, increase retention by as much as threefold in high-need districts.
• Schools that build collaborative cultures and invest in growth see lower turnover and higher student outcomes.

So, what if we treated Teacher Appreciation Week as the kickoff not the full event?

That might mean we need to:

• Invest in teacher apprenticeships that provide mentorship, financial support, and deep clinical preparation, all things linked to greater teacher retention and teacher satisfaction. 
• Allow entry level educators to begin their career with little or no debt. 
• Connect degree coursework leading to certification to immersive experience and opportunities to apply that learning.
• Ensure union leadership and individual practitioners’ voices are included in school and district decision-making discussions.
• Create opportunities for career growth through professional learning and teacher leadership without leaving the classroom–such as guiding apprentices.

Let’s Celebrate and Then Keep Going. So yes let’s keep the thank-you notes and morning shoutouts coming. Let’s decorate the lounges and celebrate with cake. But let’s also use this week to ask some deeper questions and reflect on our path forward.