Administrative Strategies to Improve Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Public Schools

The main purpose of this study was to gain insight into the recruitment and retention strategies popularized due to the need to meet high-quality teacher demands. Additionally, recruitment and retention strategies identified by administrators and tenured teachers working in rural public schools of Missouri as effective were collected through a survey. Administrators, as well as tenured teachers currently on staff in rural public school districts of Missouri, were the population of this study. Among 286 administrators, 95 administrative participants and 33 tenured teachers completed the survey. The survey responses were compared to determine if the administrative point-of-view was similar to that of the teachers involved in the study. The results of the survey indicated commonalities between the strategies administrators and tenured teachers found effective. The top-three mentioned strategies by both administrators and tenured teachers were school culture/climate, administrative support, and small class size. Teachers also indicated the community, skilled coworkers, access to technology, and adequate facilities were important factors in the determination of where they work; all of these factors were deemed of marginal importance or not mentioned by administrators. Those involved in the hiring process should be aware of the factors most important to teachers and shift focus if possible. The community near schools could also be used as a strategy to attract quality teachers and retain them long-term