Although states have maintained a focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, many schools and districts still face daunting challenges in ensuring a qualified and competent teaching corps. It is particularly difficult for schools considered hard to staff-those with high concentrations of low-performing, low-income students; high teacher turnover; and relatively high percentages of teachers who are less than fully certified. States are experimenting with numerous strategies for recruiting and retaining teachers, and some of them are trying particularly to help hard-to-staff schools. To date, there is little hard evidence of the impact of many of their efforts. However, some practices appear promising. To help meet the needs of chronically hard-to-staff schools, governors should consider short-and long-term efforts to: (1) Evaluate and assess current strategies by collecting, analyzing, and using better data; (2) Offer a flexible package of financial incentives to meet different local needs, possibly including substantial changes to traditional pay structures; (3) Track, analyze, and improve teacher working conditions, including ensuring strong school leadership, time for teachers to develop their teaching craft, and sufficient materials and resources to teach effectively; and (4) Improve preparation and support for beginning teachers. (Contains 27 endnotes.).

Teacher turnover is significantly higher in hard-to-staff schools, and it is costly. Not only are billions of dollars spent annually to recruit and train new teachers, but students who are denied the best education possible often enter the workforce at a disadvantage. The problem demands strategies that work. This report identifies examples and makes recommendations for policies and programs that have been proven effective: (1) Establishing and maintaining safe and orderly schools, including developing school safety plans and enforcing statewide discipline codes; (2) Targeting professional development to best address the needs of teachers and staff in challenging environments, like strong induction programs, teacher collaboration and effective learning opportunities; (3) Examining recruitment and hiring practices; and (4) Identifying and carrying out school district and state responsibilities, particularly in terms of funding for salaries, incentives and other school improvements. In addition to reviewing and, if necessary, revising selection procedures, including notifications policies and candidate screening, the report recommends improving recruitment through better marketing of the benefits of teaching in hard-to-staff schools. The following are appended: (1) AFT Resolution on Recruiting and Retaining Teachers in Hard-to-Staff Schools (approved by the Executive Council on May 16, 2007); and (2) Supportive Contract Language. (Contains 11 figures and 23 endnotes.).

Contains papers by state education dept. policymakers, analysts, and data providers on emerging issues in school finance. Includes: estimates of disparities and analysis of the causes of expenditures in public school districts; race, poverty and the student curriculum; court-ordered school finance equalization; resource allocation to schools under conditions of radical decentralization; building equity and effectiveness into school-based funding models; alternative options for deflating education expenditures over time; productivity collapse in schools; and evaluating the effect of teacher degree level on educational performance.

This report examines the difficulties schools encounter as they seek qualified teachers. The paper focuses on the southeastern portion of the United States, using North Carolina as a case study. Emerging teacher shortages in the state have put pressure on administrators to staff classrooms at all costs, weakening the case for high standards for teachers. The problem is particularly acute in hard-to-staff schools, which are typically located in the state's poorest districts. Although financial incentives are important in securing teachers for these classrooms, these schools also need strong leaders who involve teachers in key instructional decisions. Teachers in these schools require like-minded colleagues who are committed to teamwork; additionally, these teachers must have sufficient knowledge and skills to help students learn, and they must be willing to serve as leaders and mentors. Developing "local talent" can help place teachers in hard-to-staff schools, but school systems need to develop a comprehensive recruitment plan when trying to attract teachers. Part of this plan includes collecting and reporting data so that effective strategies can be identified. The paper provides specific recommendations for staffing schools. Some strategies that have been tried in 10 southeastern states are included. (Contains 20 references.).

This thought-provoking collection examines the challenge of teacher shortages that is of international concern. It presents multiple perspectives, and explores the commonalities and differences in approaches from around the world to understand possible solutions for the current teacher workforce crisis. Acknowledging that solutions to attract and retain teachers vary by country, region and in some cases locality, the contributors scrutinise a range of workforce planning interventions at local and government level, including financial incentives and early career support. The book draws on different perspectives to understand a range of problems that negatively affect teacher recruitment and retention, unpicking key challenges, including links between the disadvantages of location and access to teachers for coastal and rural schools, rising pupil numbers, declining school budgets and the role of professional learning in raising teacher status. Abundant in critiques, research-informed positions and context-specific discussions about the impact of teacher workforce supply and shortages, this book will be valuable reading for teacher educators, educational leaders, education policy makers and academics in the field.

The statistics are familiar: almost 50% of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years in the classroom. The challenge of recruiting and retaining teachers carries high costs for today’s schools and students. This book uncovers some of the reasons behind the elevated attrition rates in the field of education through a long-term study of beginning teachers in one urban school district. Drawing upon research conducted over a seven-year period, this book sheds light upon the role that teachers’ intentions play in shaping their later career paths. It also shares the deeply personal and professional journeys of teachers who stayed, teachers who shifted into education-related positions, and teachers who left the field altogether. Through eight in-depth case studies, this book clarifies the factors influencing teachers’ career paths and depicts the toll that teacher attrition takes on the teachers themselves. Finally, it makes an argument for placing teachers’ voices clearly at their center of their own career development as a way to enhance autonomy, satisfaction, and ultimately career longevity.