Global survey links teacher retention to safety and classroom support

Vivi and FullScale say a 2026 survey of nearly 2,000 educators in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand shows teacher retention depends on classroom success and physical safety. The findings suggest school leaders may need to spend more to replace teachers unless they improve management, engagement and emergency support.

Why it matters: - Teacher turnover is expensive for school districts, with U.S. replacement costs estimated at $12,000 to $25,000 per teacher for recruitment, hiring and onboarding alone. - The survey adds a new wrinkle to retention: classroom safety is not just a compliance issue. It is a workforce issue. - The findings point to conditions school leaders can change, which makes retention more actionable for budgets and staffing plans.

What happened: - Vivi and FullScale released the 2026 Global Teacher Insights Report, a two-part study based on surveys of nearly 2,000 educators in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. - The annual study examines what makes teachers feel successful and what keeps them in the profession. - The 2026 report expands the research to include classroom safety as a retention factor. - Natalie Mactier, CEO of Vivi, said the survey findings guide the company’s work.

The details: - Only 8% of teachers in their first two years say they feel extremely successful. - That share rises to 36% for teachers in years 3-5 and 48% for teachers in years 6-8. - Only 15% of novice teachers say they can control disruptive classroom behavior, compared with 95% of teachers with nine or more years of experience. - Novice teachers rate their ability to use varied assessment strategies up to 12% lower than their most experienced peers. - Early-career teachers are 7% more likely to report difficulty connecting with colleagues. - Teachers who feel more successful also report stronger professional community, regardless of experience level. - 1 in 4 teachers have actively left or considered leaving a job because of safety concerns. - That safety-related attrition finding holds across all four countries surveyed. - More than 1 in 5 teachers think about their physical safety every day or most days. - 98% say their school prioritizes safety to some degree. - Only 22% of teachers who feel slightly successful say they feel extremely supported in an emergency. - About 70% of teachers who describe themselves as extremely successful say they feel extremely supported in an emergency. - The survey was conducted from January to February 2026. - The research builds on a two-year framework focused on classroom management, teacher-student connections, active student engagement and high-quality instruction. - Community and collegial connection serve as a core enabling condition in the framework.

Between the lines: - The report suggests teacher retention problems start early, before many educators build confidence in classroom management and student engagement. - Safety appears to affect retention even when schools believe they are prioritizing it, which suggests a gap between policy and lived experience. - The pattern implies that better support systems may reduce turnover without requiring a full overhaul of school operations. - Vivi commissioned the research because its platform is built to support the same conditions tied to teacher success: classroom management, student engagement and safety.

What's next: - School and district leaders will likely use the findings to reassess how they support novice teachers and how they measure safety in daily practice. - The report says the full study is available upon request. - FullScale says it will continue working across practice, policy, research and people to support system change for learners. - Vivi says it will keep focusing on tools that help administrators reduce classroom friction and support teachers more directly.

The bottom line: - The report argues that keeping teachers depends on more than pay or staffing ratios. It depends on whether teachers feel effective, connected and safe enough to stay.