Teacher retention was the top priority when Dr. Stephanie D. Howard rejoined Midland ISD as superintendent in January 2023. The district was struggling with inexperienced educators and substitute-filled classrooms.
“We had hundreds of subs in classrooms where we had not been able to find teachers,” Howard said. “Coming back into the district, 37% of our teachers had five years or less experience.”
It wasn’t Howard’s first time leading in Midland. Years earlier, she served as principal of Robert E. Lee High School (now Midland Legacy High School). She later moved into district administration and served as superintendent in the Plains and Crane ISDs. Her perspective and experience as deputy superintendent in Ector County shaped her approach to teacher retention.
In a smaller district, she said, reduced class sizes had not delivered results. “Half of our kids weren’t reading on grade level,” Howard said. That “aha moment” showed her teacher quality mattered more than class size.
Resetting opportunity culture
To tackle retention and student achievement, Howard focused on Midland’s partially implemented “Opportunity Culture” model. The approach extends the reach of highly effective teachers and embeds coaching within small, empowered teams.
At the time, Midland had 16 campuses rated D or F and only seven rated A or B, based on the Texas Education Agency Rating System. Howard called the ratings a “red flag” and said the model wasn’t being used effectively. “If we’re using opportunity culture right,” she said, “those types of metrics should not be showing up.”
Howard led a districtwide reset. Instead of a single instructional coach for dozens of teachers, the model creates grade-level teams led by multi-classroom leaders. These individuals split their time between teaching and coaching, building retention by giving new teachers daily mentorship.
Retention, results and measurable gains
The strategy strengthened teacher retention, which led to greater achievements for the district. Midland reduced the number of teachers with five years or less experience from 37% to 35%, which Howard said reflected the value of coaching and new compensation structures—a modest but meaningful reduction.
More than 64 now earn over $100,000, thanks to stackable pay tied to leadership roles and performance, she said. Sustainability, she stressed, was also non-negotiable: “If it is not budget neutral, it can’t be maintained.”
The district has also seen significant academic progress. Since 2023, Midland has increased A- and B-rated campuses from seven to 14 and reduced D- and F-rated campuses from 16 to nine.
Of those 16 low-rated campuses, nine were failing at the time. Now only one remains. According to Howard, the connection between retention and student outcomes is evident: stronger teacher support leads to higher achievement.
Looking ahead: Retention as a mindset
Howard sees retention not as a program but as a staffing mindset. “Strategic staffing is a way of doing business,” she said, noting that districts must be creative to meet today’s workforce and funding challenges.
“There’s not an abundance of teachers coming out of the pipeline,” she said. Opportunity culture teams offer one solution.
For other districts aiming to boost teacher retention, Howard recommends they learn from those already succeeding. “I would recommend that they visit a campus or a district that does this,” Howard said. “There’s a lot to be learned from people who have already pulled it in—and they can help you accelerate it in your own district.”
And for Howard, seeing those gains unfold in the very district where she once served as a high school principal makes the progress even more meaningful. Coming full circle in Midland, she said, is about more than leadership—it’s about ensuring every student has a teacher who makes them want to stay, learn and succeed.
Read more from DA:
