Recruitment & Retention
Staff shortages. Grow-your-own programs. Turnover. Learn more about recruiting and retaining teachers and other school and district staff
The State of Teaching, 2026 Edition
New national data on the teaching profession, vivid reporting from classrooms, and resources to help support this essential profession.
Special Report
STEM Teachers: How to Find the Good Ones and Keep Them
See how schools are making progress, and where they are falling short, in addressing chronic teacher shortages in STEM fields.
Special Report
Strategies for Building a Diverse Staff
Delve into the link between diverse staff and students’ academic performance and explore strategies to recruit and retain diverse staff.
Staffing Our Schools
Special Report
Tackling the School Staffing Crisis
Modifying schedules, expanding the use of contractors and emergency certified teachers, and other tactics schools are trying.
- Recruitment & Retention Webinar K-12 Lens 2026: What New Staffing Data Reveals About District OperationsSponsorThis content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.Explore national survey findings and hear how districts are navigating staffing changes that affect daily operations, workload, and planning.
Recruitment & Retention Opinion Want to Retain Teachers? Ask the Right Questions Before Hiring ThemTeachers will want to stay in schools that meet their needs as professionals and as humans.
Recruitment & Retention Dozens of Teacher Pathways Fuel This District’s Talent PipelineA California district's homegrown teacher pathways work to secure a stable, well-trained teaching force.
Recruitment & Retention: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best ways to recruit good teachers?
The ways that teachers find school jobs has changed in recent years. But recruitment hasn’t gone all virtual. According to a 2022 EdWeek Research Center survey of job seekers, only 5 percent said they find out about K-12 jobs through virtual job fairs. Many more job seekers find jobs by looking at district websites (54 percent), word of mouth (47 percent), and education-focused job websites (42 percent).
Some districts are turning to decidedly non-digital recruitment methods, like highway billboards, flyers in grocery stores, and reaching out to parents to ask them to become substitute teachers.
Some districts are turning to decidedly non-digital recruitment methods, like highway billboards, flyers in grocery stores, and reaching out to parents to ask them to become substitute teachers.
What qualities do principals look for when hiring teachers?
Many principals place the most weight on how a teacher will fit in with their school’s culture. That attribute was more valued by principals than whether the teacher’s certification aligned with their school’s needs, according to a 2022 survey by RAND.
The number of years of teaching experience a teacher had ranked relatively low in principal’s desired teacher qualifications, with less than a quarter of principals saying it was in their top three.
The number of years of teaching experience a teacher had ranked relatively low in principal’s desired teacher qualifications, with less than a quarter of principals saying it was in their top three.
How can schools retain teachers?
Here is some advice on retaining teachers from Principal David Arencibia of Colleyville Middle School in Texas:
· Be clear with teachers about job expectations.
· Create a positive school culture.
· Celebrate your staff.
· Listen to your staff.
· Be clear with teachers about job expectations.
· Create a positive school culture.
· Celebrate your staff.
· Listen to your staff.
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Recruitment & Retention District Leaders Want to Retain Talent. They Need to Look Beyond Just CompensationThere are steps K-12 leaders can take to keep teachers and principals in the leadership pipeline, administrators say.
Recruitment & Retention Q&A This District Cracked the Nut on Fully Staffed Schools. Here’s HowKnox County streamlined hiring and empowered principals to beat teacher shortages.
Recruitment & Retention Leader To Learn From The ‘Off-Season’ That Helps This HR Director Fully Staff SchoolsKnox County reimagined teacher hiring and is starting each year fully staffed.
Recruitment & Retention Principals Can Make or Break Schools. How Districts Find the Right FitGauging job candidates' readiness for the challenges of running a school is not easy.
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says Do 4-Day School Weeks Attract and Retain Better Teachers? What the Largest Study Yet SaysShortened schedules may do less than district leaders hope to improve turnover and teacher quality.
Recruitment & Retention Opinion What Trump's $100,000 Visa Fee Could Mean for SchoolsAn expert on teacher migration explains the possible consequences for international teachers.Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping TalentDiscover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
Recruitment & Retention How This District Works to Attract and Retain Hard-to-Find CTE InstructorsCTE instructors are difficult to hire and retain. This district uses external connections and internal resources to support its program.
Recruitment & Retention Inside One State's Bold Plan to Keep Special Education TeachersPennsylvania's training and mentoring program works to retain teachers serving students with disabilities.
Recruitment & Retention 7 Things Teachers Say Would Make Them Stay on the JobEducators pointed to everything from classroom size to the amount of autonomy they're given.
Recruitment & Retention Q&A Custodians Are the 'Glue' of School Buildings. How Districts Can Keep ThemOne school leader has been focusing on custodians' retention and growth.
Recruitment & Retention Opinion How to Stop Hemorrhaging Teachers From the ProfessionEven as some teachers seek other careers, school leaders can stem the flow.
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How U.S. Teachers' Job Satisfaction Stacks Up Against Their Global Peers'The largest international survey of teachers provides new insights into teacher satisfaction.
Recruitment & Retention Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Know Today’s K-12 Hiring Landscape?Assess your knowledge of the key factors driving K-12 hiring today.
Recruitment & Retention Opinion How to Make Teachers Want to Stay at Your SchoolAn instructional coach shares five essential practices for teacher retention.
