From Appreciation to Action: A School Leader’s List for Empowering Teachers

Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week gives school leaders a dedicated moment to celebrate the incredible work teachers do every day—but great principals know that this recognition must be so much more than treats in the teacher's lounge or a single thank you note. True recognition actually begins with empowering teachers and giving them agency over their development, careers, and classrooms.

When principals create environments where teachers have meaningful control and influence, they demonstrate a deeper and more authentic form of appreciation than any gift card or “jeans day” could provide. Research shows that school environments and leaders that support teacher agency retain quality teachers longer and increase school and student success. 

This kind of agency doesn’t happen by chance—it happens through intentional design. Below, we outline several ways principals can foster a sense of empowerment and agency that honors the instincts and expertise of your teachers all year long.

Create meaningful leadership opportunities for teachers

Empowerment begins when teachers are given genuine opportunities to lead—opportunities where they’re able to give actionable input and have decision-making authority. By creating clear leadership pathways within your school that allow educators to grow professionally within their role—whether that’s by taking charge of professional development sessions, leading curriculum design teams, or participating in mentorship programs—teachers become more invested in your school’s collective success. 

One way to do this is through the practice of distributed leadership—a shared approach in which the decision-making in a school is spread from one person (typically you as the principal!) to a collective group—fueling a sense of collective efficacy. Instructional leadership teams (ILTs) or site-based leadership teams are the most common forms of a distributed leadership model, as they give grade-level teachers as well as school counselors and social workers a concrete opportunity to work alongside school leaders to accelerate school change.

New Leaders alum and former principal Beulah McLoyd defines it best: “To me, distributed leadership really just means encouraging leaders to do what they do best—and empowering them to challenge themselves to do it bigger and bigger. Every teacher brings leadership qualities to your table…all those qualities can be leveraged and encouraged for your students’ benefit.”

Let teachers have a degree of autonomy over their PD

Teachers know their classrooms and their students better than anyone else. They want to be able to make certain decisions about what’s best for their students based on what they know. This understanding is why it's critical that teachers be able to direct their own course when it comes to their professional development, where what they learn has the ability to make a difference for their students and encourage their own creativity and innovation. 

It’s not just the agency over PD that’s important—it’s also that the content they learn is relevant, able to be applied to their classroom, and that they have time and space to apply what they’ve learned. Identify a few PD options for teachers to explore and share those with staff. Not only does this get away from the “one-size-fits-all” PD that doesn’t benefit most teachers, but in choosing the options, you can still keep your school’s instructional vision at the forefront while respecting the professional judgement and time of your teachers, knowing that each teacher will pursue PD that feels most meaningful for their context and needs.

In exchange for the PD autonomy, you might ask each educator to come back with something to show for their time, be it in the form of a sample lesson or a presentation for their fellow teachers. It’s a great opportunity for teachers to share what they’ve learned with each other while holding them accountable for their learning.

Give consistent, relevant, and impactful feedback

Feedback is tricky, isn’t it? It’s something that can have either a positive or negative connotation—depending on how it’s given, and whether you’re on the giving or receiving end. It’s also a necessary part of your role as a principal. When you provide feedback to your teachers regardless of where they are in their teaching journey, it’s a signal that you believe in their abilities and want to help them further develop their craft.

To give the best feedback possible, it first requires you and your teachers to have a shared understanding of what effective feedback is and how it gets delivered. That way, there’s less risk that it gets misinterpreted or takes someone by surprise. Ask your teachers—whether it’s one-on-one, in a staff meeting, or in an emailed survey—what they’d prefer and expect when expecting feedback.

Another tip is to frame your feedback around the impact of a teacher’s actions on their students—not their actions and behaviors while they’re teaching. Hal Harris, a former principal, says that when he took on teaching an additional subject in his school as a teacher, he was paired with an instructional coach that would always ask him, “What was the impact of your behavior and decisions on the academic outcomes of your students?” That question led him to more self-reflection, ownership, and an even greater focus on student learning. 

Build a better communication culture

Having great communication with your teachers sounds easy in theory, but in reality, it’s challenging. Communication is so much more than relaying the right message to the right audience at the right time—it’s also about conveying empathy and understanding. When those emotions happen, teachers feel appreciated, and school missions are fulfilled. 

One of the biggest ways to do this is by prioritizing “two-way communication”—intentional interactions where all participants in a conversation not only share their ideas and information, but also actively listen to what the other is contributing. It’s like a tennis match in that it’s a game that can only be played when the ball is volleyed back and forth. 

Creating opportunities for two-way communications begins with making it a habit. Maybe it’s implementing a series of weekly office hours specifically to enable teachers to come in and talk freely with you. Or, if time is in short supply and it’s hard for teachers to make the time for one-on-one meetings, create an email  “pulse survey” with a question or two where teachers can share their insights. It’s all about opening those lines of communication consistently. 

Recognition still matters

Of course, we don’t want to deter you from those more tangible acts of teacher appreciation! Thank you notes and food days are still important for infusing a dose of joy. The real recognition happens when you create a school environment where your teachers have genuine voice and influence. 

When you put these strategies into practice, you're not just saying "thanks"—you're building a school where teachers know their expertise truly matters.

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