Recruiting and keeping great teachers has always been a top priority for school leaders, but it’s gotten tougher lately. Administrators are feeling this across the country and it’s backed by a recent report by UNESCO (2024) which predicts a global shortage of 44 million teachers by 2030. The study specifically cites a decline in the profession’s attractiveness as a cause in more developed nations, which can be seen by the looming teacher strike in Alberta (CBC/Radio Canada, 2025). One contributing factor to this shortage is that nearly 25% of new teachers in Alberta leave the profession in the first five years (Bartman, 2021). As school leaders, we know how difficult it can be to move a building forward when we are constantly faced with evaluating and supervising brand new staff. It leaves little time to provide instructional coaching to our established teachers, leading to stagnant growth, weakened school culture and declining student achievement. The market is currently comprised of teachers from the outgoing Baby Boomer generation, Generation X, Millennials, and now Generation Z. Born between 1995 and 2012, Gen Z makes up a significant portion of current novice teachers in Canada, and they will continue to enter your schools over the next decade. In several ways, their needs, values, and characteristics differ from older generations. It is in our best interests to adapt onboarding strategies for this generation, as it has the potential to improve workplace morale, retention, and student learning.
Strong Starts, Stronger Classrooms
When teachers start strong, so do classrooms. That’s because effective onboarding directly boosts teaching quality and student learning. When new teachers get meaningful, tailored support from induction programs, fewer of them leave, and students actually perform better (Dixon, 2024). We know that guidance and structured support make a real difference, helping new teachers feel more capable, driven, and truly committed to their work (Whitaker, 2000). This dedication to the profession and the school community fosters a more stable and effective learning environment for students. Additionally, sustaining an effective induction and mentoring program is essential for supporting new teachers in achieving improved classroom performance (Dixon, 2024).
The benefits of providing a comprehensive onboarding program for our new teachers cannot be overstated; yet, limited resources often lead system leaders to eliminate these programs. Not prioritizing this kind of training leads to a continuous cycle of recruiting, hiring, and evaluating new employees—an expensive and inefficient process. By shifting our leadership lens to include onboarding programs that focus on these elements, we can enhance school culture and climate, teacher well-being, and overall job satisfaction and commitment rates (Venida, 2021).
The Leadership Shift Schools Need
This first generation of digital natives is the most diverse workforce to date (Bartman, 2021). What we’re seeing is that Gen Z has unique values and high expectations for leaders to provide what they need to stick around. They crave a psychologically safe and technologically friendly workplace that aligns with their beliefs, and they seek opportunities for continuous learning and growth. Gen Z expects frequent and immediate feedback from their leaders, and it can cause anxiety when they do not receive it; this is a generation accustomed to instant ‘likes’ and comments, which means they expect it from you. Healthy relationships and transparency from honest, ethical leaders are important criteria, along with employers that prioritize their well-being and work-life balance (Chillikuri, 2020), which is not something schools easily provide, considering the ever-increasing demands of teaching and the complexity of the classroom.
Compared with earlier generations, Gen Z has never known a time before the internet, smartphones, social media, and instant messaging (Chillikuri, 2020). This group is typically confident and knowledgeable with technology and comfortable with individualized, self-paced learning, whether virtual or in-person. Interestingly, teachers of this generation appreciate technology, but desire in-person connections accompanied by hands-on learning experiences. As leaders, if you want your professional development to truly stick, remember that Gen Z has a shorter attention span and prefers a lot of visual stimulation (Bartman, 2021). Another critical point is that Gen Z is known to adapt better when onboarding is individualized and tailored to their specific needs, which includes allowing them time to process independently. A one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding may not be as successful with them. Gen Z wants their independence, but this group still values collaboration with their colleagues and mentors (Venida, 2021), creating a complex dynamic between autonomy and cooperation. With a better understanding of what makes this generation special, the next step in the process is for us to cultivate a school culture that reflects their values.
Culture Counts: Leading Gen Z with Purpose
When we emphasize the importance of strong relationships with colleagues and students, it creates a more supportive work environment for everyone. Gen Z values leadership that fosters mentorship and a sense of belonging. When we incorporate this into our school vision, leaders can better address the needs of new teachers and reduce their anxiety (Bartman, 2021). Gen Z isn’t shy about prioritizing mental health support and if resources aren’t there, they’ll simply explore other job options (Elkhatib, 2023). They expect a work culture that promotes professional growth, well-being and purpose. This is the generation of “work-life balance”, and they expect their leaders to understand and affirm this. It is worth taking the time to foster these values, as research shows that it can lead to increased employee motivation and retention in all generations
(Chillakuri, 2020; Venida, 2021). While culture lays the groundwork for connection and support, it is through structured onboarding that these values are put into practice during the critical early stages of a teacher’s career. Below are five core strategies for leaders which are backed by research that can meet their expectations and support long-term retention.
Onboarding Gen Z: What Works
To effectively support your Generation Z teachers, onboarding programs should be designed with the following elements in mind:
Mentorship
Give them a guide. Gen Z values personalized, purposeful mentorship. Build longer-term mentorship into onboarding to provide both relational and instructional support (Bartman, 2021; Chillakuri, 2020).
Feedback Loops
Generation Z thrives on regular and actionable feedback conversations to promote and provide support during early career stages. Onboarding should communicate the frequency and promptness of feedback sharing with new teachers, enabling them to refine their practice. (Adkins, 2023; Bartman, 2021; Chillakuri, 2020).
Community
Build a supportive network. Gen Z thrives on strong interpersonal relationships and a workplace community that genuinely cares about staff well-being. Onboarding is the perfect time to foster this sense of interconnectedness and investment (Chillakuri, 2020; Venida, 2021).
Alignment
Generation Z looks for meaningful, mission-driven work that aligns with their values. Onboarding should communicate the school’s purpose and values, as well as how new teachers can contribute to the larger vision (Adkins, 2023; Bartman, 2021; Chillakuri, 2020).
Technology
Generation Z is fluent with and assumes the use of technology in instruction, communication and training. Digital onboarding platforms, virtual meetings with mentors and a digital resource repository are conducive to their preferred learning style (Adkins, 2023; Bartman, 2021; Chillikuri, 2020; Venida, 2020).
Together, the elements of mentorship, feedback, community, alignment, and technology form the foundation of a responsive onboarding approach.
Invest Early, Retain Longer
A lack of proper integration and induction support is cited as a reason that one-quarter of new employees report wanting to quit their jobs within the first six months (Rebel & McDonald, 2023). Unsurprisingly, a high turnover rate can harm organizations, due to increased cost instability, time spent on recruitment and training, missed opportunities to leverage talent, the loss of experienced employees, and a decline in workplace morale (Dalgiç, 2022). You, as school and system leaders, simply must prioritize onboarding. Why? Because when teachers leave, it hits hard—financially, in terms of learning costs, and it slowly eats away at morale (Ceglie et al., 2022). Most importantly, when experienced teachers leave, student success declines.
To support and foster the growth and commitment of Generation Z teachers, school leaders must adapt their new teacher training programs. Onboarding practices that promote mentorship, community, feedback, technology and alignment of values are embraced by new teachers entering the profession. The bottom line? Making these intentional integration and orientation practices a priority isn’t just good practice; it’s essential for building and sustaining a progressive, healthy
teaching workforce.
References
Adkins, A. H. (2023). How generation Z teachers experience enhancers and inhibitors to teacher retention in South Carolina’s public schools (Doctoral dissertation, Converse University).
Bartman, T. (2021). Perspectives of beginning teachers from generation Z: A narrative study (Doctoral dissertation, University of North Dakota). UND Scholarly Commons.
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). The trouble with teacher turnover: How teacher attrition affects students and schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(36). http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.27.3699
CBC/Radio Canada. (2025, June 10). Majority of Alberta Teachers Vote to strike. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-teachers-strike-1.7557407
Chillakuri, B. (2020). Understanding generation Z: Expectations for effective onboarding. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 33(7), 1277–1296. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-02-2020-0058
Dalgiç, A. (2022). The effects of person-job fit and person-organization fit on turnover
intention: The mediation effect of job resourcefulness. Journal of Gastronomy Hospitality and Travel, 5(1), 355-365. https://doi.org/10.33083/joghat. 2022.136
Dixon, T. (2024). A qualitative descriptive study exploring the perceptions of new teacher induction supports [Unpublished Doctoral dissertation]. Abilene Christian University.
Elkhatib, A. M. (2023). Battle of the minds: Millennials vs. generation Z, a qualitative study on the importance of mental health awareness in a white-collar workplace. [Doctoral dissertation, Adler University]. ProQuest LLC.
Lubis, R., Syafitri, N., Maylinda, R. N., Alyani, N. N., Zulfiyanti, N., & Anda, R. (2024). Job stress and turnover intention in generation Z teachers: Resilience as a moderator. Psikologika, 29(1), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.20885/psikologika.vol29.iss1.art8
Rebel, J., & McDonald, F. W. (2023). The optimal employee journey to retain gen Z and Millennial young professionals in the Netherlands [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia.
Schmidt, E., & Delos Santos, J. (2024). Education workforce study: Teacher and leader recruitment and retention in Alberta. College of Alberta School Superintendents and Alberta Education.
UNESCO. (2024). Global report on teachers: addressing teacher shortages and transforming the profession. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/global-report-teachers-addressing-teacher-shortages-and-transforming-profession
Venida, A. C. (2021). Exploring generation Z teachers’ work values: Implications to educational leadership and management. International Journal of Education, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.17509/ije.v15i1.46153
Whitaker, S. D. (2000). Mentoring beginning special education teachers and the relationship to attrition. Exceptional Children, 66, 546–566. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290006600407
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Tara Boyle is a Vice-Principal with the High Prairie School Division, and Debbie Tait has over 17 years of experience as an educator with the Calgary Board of Education. This article is a synthesis of a comprehensive literature review completed as part of the requirements of a Master of Education in Educational Research through the University of Calgary. They are excited to share their learning in the hope of providing school leaders with a deeper understanding of why onboarding is essential for the next generation of teachers.
