Rural Teacher Recruitment & Retention Strategy 5.0

A common strategy identified by experts for addressing the rural teacher shortages is to develop local teaching talent. Often referred to as growing you own teachers, developing local talent may reduce the likelihood that teachers will leave one district for another. Teachers with close community ties are less likely to accept a position in another. Paraprofessionals can be a good source for teacher candidates, but administrators have to be careful about creating unrealistic expectations about employment opportunities.