Title: The Role of the Administrator
Headings: The Role of the Administrator in Teacher Retention
The Role of the Administrator in Teacher Retention
Infrastructure
Content/Skills
Community Involvement and Support
School Leaders Also Need Support

Content: They can expand access to counseling, anger management and peer mediation. They can provide ways for students to communicate with adults about rumors and threats. Leaders can teach respect and responsibility and expand opportunities for students to work with adult role models in after-school education and recreation programs (NEA, 2003). While working hard to develop a school climate where people are comfortable, leaders should remember to pay attention to the little things. Sometimes the principal or special education administrator is the person to make sure the copiers are working, schedule fewer interruptions during instructional time, turn on the air conditioning when needed, and provide food at faculty meetings (Scherer, 2003). Infrastructure
If schools are to succeed in retaining teachers, a proper infrastructure should be in place that allows teachers to focus most of their time and energy on teaching. With this mind, school leaders should give new teachers less of a workload, fewer responsibilities and duties so they can concentrate on their classrooms and students (Sargent, 2003). Because excessive paperwork is a major issue among special education teachers, leaders should reduce this burden by such strategies as turning the task over to assistant principals, or by hiring paraprofessional special education clerks (Fielding and Simpson, 2003). Leaders also must ensure that teachers have adequate resources and materials to do their jobs. ( Darling-Hammond, 2003;