School principals are critical to students' academic achievement, second only to teachers. They are the primary agents of change in their schools, fostering supportive learning environments that enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. Moreover, they often design and oversee the initiatives and hiring to sustain the positive changes…

On February 23, 2024, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor (the Departments) published a final rule in the "Federal Register" (89 FR 13814) that defines the sixth performance indicator--effectiveness in serving employers--as "Retention with the Same Employer" in the second and fourth quarters following a participant's…

Schools in rural communities face many challenges in retaining effective teachers, many of which are beyond school leaders' control: need for educators to serve multiple roles, lower teacher salaries, and large percentages of students from low-income backgrounds. However, cultivating a school culture where teachers are supported to be effective…

The Texas Education Agency offers grants for districts to implement school turnaround strategies at low-performing schools. Districts that receive these grants can implement a school turnaround strategy (referred to as a district-managed restart strategy) that includes replacing principals and teachers at schools that the district identifies as…

This article investigates district-level administrators' perceptions regarding the value of the partnership academies. The article uses input from seven district administrators who provided feedback regarding the value of the district and university partnership, specific benefits to the district, the differences between participants who envision…

People learn by doing. This is the idea at the heart of apprenticeship, where lessons in the classroom are reinforced by on-the-job training, resulting in education that transcends the textbook and extends to physical and even cultural learning. Students get paid, and employers get custom-trained talent. For Louisiana, the opportunity of…

In the face of principal turnover, a common approach taken by staff is to simply wait until the new school year begins and hope that the new administrator will continue to support current programs. It is our experience that this passive strategy is not as helpful, because there are proactive approaches that are more likely to be successful. The…

School business officials are likely to know better than anyone else about the financial costs to districts and schools associated with teacher attrition. Perhaps less well-known, though, is what else has been learned about this issue in recent years--information that may affect how one thinks about teacher turnover. Here is some of that research:…

Studies have shown that teacher quality is the single greatest factor affecting student achievement. However, it is not simply enough to recruit highly qualified candidates and place them into the schools where they are needed the most; the United States needs a system to support and retain these teachers. This essay posits that school districts…

In response to high rates of attrition, increasing numbers of states and localities are developing mentoring programs as a means of retaining qualified special education personnel. Based on examples drawn from around the country, including states and localities with which the Personnel Improvement Center (PIC) has worked, this practice brief…

Strategic planning and innovation at Bismarck State College (BSC) found common ground in the college's goal to recruit and retain employees in an environment of low unemployment and strong competition for skilled employees. BSC's strategic plan for 2007-09 included the objective "to increase retention of employees." One of the strategies…

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan tracked a cohort of 39 international medical graduates (IMGs) in rural Saskatchewan and discovered that 51% left the province within five years (personal communication). A study by Basky, Mathew, Edwards, and Rourke (2007) found that half a cohort of IMGs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador…

Following a difficult two year teaching commitment with Teach for America as a sixth-grade teacher in the Bronx, Lily Rabinoff-Goldman joined the staff of an effective, child-centered after-school program. Ex-teachers and after-school programming have a mutually beneficial relationship. Schoolteachers know how to build curriculum, discipline…

Perhaps one of the fastest ways to improve the quality of out-of-school time programs would be to replace practices that individuals know do not work with practices that appear to be more effective. In this brief, the authors highlight lessons from an expanding body of knowledge about specific program practices that should be avoided or minimized…

This paper presents an innovative approach to attracting and retaining faculty members from underrepresented populations at Appalachian State University (ASU). The need for, and benefits of, faculty diversity in academia is presented. The challenges in recruiting and retaining faculty from diverse backgrounds are discussed. The Faculty Fellows…