The July Scramble
It’s July. While other professionals are enjoying summer vacations, you’re scrambling to fill open teaching positions just weeks before school starts. You’re posting job openings, wondering if you’ll have to hire emergency-certified teachers or combine classes. But here’s what most leaders don’t realize: the best teachers aren’t just looking for any job—they’re looking for districts where they can succeed. And success starts with one fundamental element that most districts get wrong: clear expectations. In this post we’ll explore how clear expectations attract the best teachers.
What Top Teachers Really Want
When quality educators evaluate job opportunities, they’re asking themselves critical questions:
- “Will I know what I’m supposed to teach and when?”
- “Can I walk into my classroom Monday morning with confidence?”
- “Will I spend my weekends hunting for materials, or can I focus on great teaching?”
- “Does this district set me up for success or struggle?”
Research confirms what you intuitively know: the best teachers have options. According to the Learning Policy Institute, teachers are motivated by “ample collaboration time, greater feelings of autonomy, supportive and involved administrators, and allocated time for high-quality professional development that is collaborative, individualized, and immediately useful within their classrooms.”
Notice what’s missing from that list? Higher salaries. What teachers want most is the infrastructure to succeed—and that starts with clear expectations.
The Sunday Night Test
Picture this: It’s Sunday evening, and a 5th grade teacher is looking at this standard:
“Use multiple representations to reason and solve problems involving operational properties of whole numbers and decimals. Use a strategy to compute the product of a two- or three-digit factor times a two-digit factor to include real-world situations.”
Her question: “What exactly do I teach tomorrow?”
In districts without clear expectations, she’ll spend hours searching through textbooks, second-guessing her choices, and feeling stressed about whether she’s doing it right.
In districts with clear expectations, she knows exactly what to teach, has quality materials ready, and can focus her energy on how to teach it brilliantly.
Which district do you think knows how clear expectations attract the best teachers?
The Hidden Cost of Confusion
When expectations aren’t clear, even your best teachers struggle. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 40% of public schools had difficulty filling positions in 2020-2021, compared with just 17% in 2011-2012. But the data tells us something crucial: it’s not just about numbers—it’s about the quality of teachers who stay.
Research from the Economic Policy Institute reveals that teachers who remained in the profession were significantly more likely to have experienced “very useful” professional development activities compared to those who left. The difference isn’t the amount of professional development—it’s whether teachers can immediately apply what they learn.
When expectations aren’t clear:
- Teachers waste precious time hunting for appropriate materials every weekend
- They question their decisions constantly, never feeling confident in their instruction
- They burn out faster from the mental load of constant uncertainty
- They compare your district unfavorably to others with clearer systems
- They leave for positions where they can focus on teaching instead of guessing
Meanwhile, districts with unclear expectations attract only teachers who have no other choice—or who don’t know what good support looks like yet.
What Clear Expectations Actually Look Like
The best districts don’t just hand teachers a list of standards. They provide:
Specific guidance on which standards to teach when, so teachers can plan with confidence.
Quality materials that are immediately usable, not theoretical frameworks to interpret.
Shared understanding across all schools, so teachers know they’re part of a coherent system.
Support systems that help teachers succeed rather than leaving them to figure it out alone.
When teachers interview in these districts, they see organization, thoughtfulness, and respect for their professionalism. They can envision themselves thriving, not just surviving.
Why This Matters More Than Salary
Here’s where the research gets really interesting. The Learning Policy Institute’s study of North Carolina teachers found that “professional learning and collaboration” was one of the most important factors related to positive teacher working conditions and retention, particularly in high-poverty school environments. Yet only 20% of teachers surveyed strongly agreed that they had access to sufficient professional development resources.
The gap isn’t about quantity—it’s about quality and applicability.
According to PBLWorks research, professional learning that actually retains teachers has specific characteristics:
- Immediately applicable with tools teachers can use Monday morning
- Collaborative around shared understanding of what to teach
- Responsive to actual classroom needs, not abstract theories
- Ongoing with sustained support throughout the year
Clear expectations make all of this possible. Confusion makes it impossible.
When teachers can’t answer “What should I teach tomorrow?” with confidence, even the best professional development feels disconnected from their daily reality.
The Competitive Advantage
When top teachers have multiple job offers, they choose districts where they can see themselves succeeding. Clear expectations signal:
- Organizational competence: “This district has its act together”
- Respect for teachers: “They understand what I need to do my job well”
- Support for success: “I won’t be left to figure everything out alone”
- Professional environment: “I can focus on teaching, not administrative chaos”
Districts with unclear expectations signal the opposite—even when that’s not their intention.
The Real Question
As you face another challenging hiring season, ask yourself:
When great teachers evaluate your district, what do they see?
Do they see a place where they’ll spend weekends hunting for materials and questioning their every decision?
Or do they see a district that values their expertise enough to provide the clarity they need to excel?
The teachers you most want to hire are asking this question. Your competition for talent is answering it better.
Making the Shift: How to attract the best teachers
Creating clear expectations isn’t about micromanaging teachers—it’s about providing the foundation that lets them teach brilliantly.
The best teachers want autonomy within structure, creativity within clarity, and the confidence that comes from knowing they’re supported systematically rather than left to sink or swim.
Clear expectations don’t limit great teachers—they liberate them to focus on what they do best: teaching.
When you provide that clarity, word spreads. Teachers talk to teachers. Your district becomes known as a place where educators thrive.
And suddenly, you’re not scrambling to fill positions in July. You’re choosing among candidates who want to work for you.
The path to attracting the best teachers starts with the clarity to help them succeed. Become a leader who understands how clear expectations attract the best teachers and end your July scramble forever.
Ready to transform your district into a destination for top teaching talent? Learn how systematic approaches to clear expectations can end your July scrambles and position your schools as employers of choice.
