This publication is designed to provide schools and school districts with help in addressing the challenge of recruiting and retaining excellent substitute teachers. It includes information on a variety of school district approaches to hiring, compensating, and supporting substitute teachers. Districts that provide training in classroom management and implementation of lesson plans have experienced positive results in student achievement and retention of substitute teachers. Critical elements are training, orientation, and information provided by classroom teachers. Clarification of role expectations for the principal, classroom teachers, and substitutes also helps, and specific guidelines for achieving clarity are included. If substitutes are given building manuals, class lists, detailed lesson plans, inclusion in teacher training workshops, supervision, and feedback, their performance improves. The way in which staff members interact with substitutes is closely examined, since this is an important part of the substitute's decision to work. Guidelines for substitute evaluation are also given. Highlights of successful programs are provided. (Contains 71 references.) (RKJ)