Recruiting Teachers

To ensure all students have access to the most effective teachers, districts must have a strong applicant pool. Districts that struggle to attract effective teachers begin the hiring process at a disadvantage as they have fewer qualified applicants from which to choose. The resources listed below provide recommendations and strategies for attracting effective teachers.

Resources

Teacher Incentive Allotment House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June of 2019, established an optional Teacher Incentive Allotment with a stated goal of a six-figure salary for teachers who prioritize teaching in high needs areas and rural district campuses.

TechTeach Across Rural Texas Description of TechTeach, a teacher education program at Texas Tech University, designed for teacher candidates in rural areas within Texas who wish to remain in their communities.

Grow Your Own: Texas Education Agency The Grow Your Own program aims to elevate the teaching profession in Texas to increase the pool and diversity of Texas’ future classroom leaders.

Raising Teacher Salaries The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) provides a pathway for top teachers to earn six-figure salaries and to help attract and retain highly effective teachers at traditionally hard-to-staff schools.

Elevating Support for Texas Rural and Small Schools This document identifies current challenges and best practices for rural schools and districts to meet the needs of Texas rural students.

How Rural Districts Are Creatively Recruiting Teachers This article provides examples of efforts made to address teacher shortages in rural districts in Texas.

Indicators of Successful Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Oklahoma Rural School Districts This study identifies factors that can support teacher recruitment and retention in rural Oklahoma.

Heartbeat of the Community: Recruiting and Retaining Teachers in Rural Schools This YouTube video documents research on teacher recruitment and retention across the country, and specifically in rural Michigan.

Teacher Recruitment Strategies That Work This Education Week article describes teacher recruitment strategies used across the nation.