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
Getting & Keeping Good Teachers
For many school districts, teacher shortages are a recurring challenge. What are those districts doing differently to attract—and keep—the teachers they need?
Special Report
Teacher Recruitment
This special report explores the factors behind recent teacher shortages and highlights initiatives designed to improve district hiring processes and tap new pools of prospective educators.
- Recruitment & Retention Whitepaper Build a Community Where Teachers ThriveSponsorThis content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.Built for today’s school leaders, the ASU Prep Global Teacher Retention Playbook delivers proven, scalable strategies to attract, support...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: 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 Q&A A District Raised All Teacher Salaries, Some by Almost 22K. How It's WorkingLeaders said condensing the district's 16-tier pay scale was just one of the tools they used.
Recruitment & Retention Download DOWNLOADABLE: A Recipe for Creating a School Culture Teachers Don't Want to LeaveIt takes the right combination of hiring the right people, supporting their growth, recognizing their good work, and having fun.
Recruitment & Retention From Our Research Center What's Keeping People From Becoming Teachers? An Eye-Popping To-Do List, for OneNinety percent of educators say that the demands of the job make it harder to recruit and retain teachers.
Recruitment & Retention Teacher Autonomy Isn't Dead. Here's How to Achieve ItAward-winning teachers and other experts suggest ways to build and maintain this cherished professional freedom.
Recruitment & Retention Q&A Behind the Podcast That's Trying to Entice More People of Color Into TeachingNew York City uses outside-the-box strategies to recruit and retain educators of color.
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How to Find (and Keep) SubstitutesEducators and leaders discuss ways to deepen the substitute labor pool amid staff shortages and absenteeism.
Recruitment & Retention Video How to Create a School Culture That Teachers Won't Want to LeaveAt this Texas middle school, staff have turned down job offers that would boost their salary or significantly cut their commute time.
Recruitment & Retention Staff Shortages in Schools Are Here to Stay. Here's WhySchool districts are still struggling to hire qualified candidates in special education, transportation, and STEM.
Recruitment & Retention 5 Ways Districts Are Filling Teacher VacanciesHiring international teachers, bringing teachers out of retirement, and using virtual learning are some of districts' solutions.
Recruitment & Retention What Can States Do to Patch the 'Leaky Pipeline' for Teachers of Color?State teacher-recruitment programs need to be more explicit about aiming for diversity, a report finds.
Recruitment & Retention Q&A This High School Couldn't Fill Key Jobs, So It Turned to StudentsSchools have struggled to fill key support staff jobs since reopening from pandemic shutdowns. This high school recruited its students.
Recruitment & Retention Letter to the Editor We Need Better Efforts to Hire and Retain Black TeachersRecruitment efforts are often all sound and fury, with no change, writes an academic director.
Recruitment & Retention Letter to the Editor Reserve Seats at the Table for BIPOC EducatorsDistricts must better support BIPOC educators, writes an assistant teaching professor of justice.
Recruitment & Retention How to Support New Teachers So They Stay—and ThriveJob interviews that highlight schools' strengths, looking at teacher applicants' assets, and giving new hires layers of support all matter.Recruitment & Retention Spotlight Spotlight on Teacher ShortagesThis Spotlight will help you uncover what principals look for when hiring teachers, how a supportive culture can help retention, and more.
