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

  • John David Ulferts Western Illinois University
Keywords: recruitment; retention; teacher satisfaction; smallest rural school districts

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.

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Author Biography

John David Ulferts, Western Illinois University

Dr. Ulferts is a veteran educator with 25 years of administrative and teaching experience both in rural and in urban school districts.  He is currently Superintendent-Principal of the Shirland School District #134 in Shirland, Illinois, a small K-8 rural district, and is an Adjunct Professor for Concordia University Wisconsin.

Published
2018-11-12
How to Cite
Ulferts, J. D. (2018). A Brief Summary of Teacher Recruitment and Retention in the Smallest Illinois Rural Schools. The Rural Educator, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v37i1.292
Section
Research Articles