A Brief Summary of Teacher Recruitment and Retention in the Smallest Illinois Rural Schools

Abstract

Teacher recruitment and retention factors were identified in the smallest public school districts in Illinois. Findings were compared to a previous study of Montana rural teacher recruitment and retention conducted by Davis (2002).  A quantitative survey instrument was administered to teachers employed in the 24 smallest Illinois school districts.  The survey consisted of Likert-type items measuring recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction factors and was based on the Boylan (1993) four spheres of influence for teacher recruitment and retention:  1) within classroom activities, 2) whole school level activities, 3) community level activities, and 4) family/personal factors.  Results were similar to the Davis study with the family/personal and whole school level spheres most important to teacher recruitment and the community and within classroom spheres most important to teacher retention.  Teachers were also asked to identify the recruitment and retention strategies they perceived as being most important for rural school districts and to respond to three professional satisfaction questions.  The study concluded with recommendations for both educational practitioners and researchers.