To help states retain teachers and recruit the next generation into the profession, this brief examines teacher compensation policies in states and how adjustments could help reverse teacher shortage trends. The report looks at teacher compensation packages as a whole, including data on salary, health insurance, retirement and other benefits. It…

This document summarizes the findings of a report by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) designed to help policymakers gain a better understanding of both the nature of the teacher workforce and of promising recruitment and retention strategies. ECS reviewed 91 studies on teacher recruitment and retention in search of answers to eight…

A report is given of a 1987 survey of teachers in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Data were obtained from 580 full-time classroom teachers in three elementary schools, two junior high schools, and one senior high school. The focus of the survey was on teacher attrition rates and turnover. Results indicated a high percentage of…

In considering the problem of recruiting and retaining the most able candidates for teaching, five dilemmas facing the profession are discussed. They are: Equity vs. Excellence; Egalitarianism vs. Differentiation; Teaching: Art or Science; the Curriculum--Standardization vs. Individualization; and The Focus of Instruction. The following problems…

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 directed the U.S. General Accounting Office to determine whether the Department of Defense (DOD) overseas teachers' compensation package is adequate to recruit and retain qualified teachers. The Act also required GAO to determine whether or not any revisions to the law governing DOD…

In fall 2000, all 3,506 superintendents in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin received a survey that asked them to report on the strategies they had implemented to attract and retain teachers and on how effective those strategies had been. The survey was designed to collect basic information about a variety of…

Reports on a nationwide survey of the teaching profession that compares personal profiles and salaries of public school teachers and 4-year college graduates employed year round. Discusses issues of supply and demand, motivation and morale, job satisfaction, and teacher training. Six charts are included. (IW)

Projected teacher shortages are due to an expanding need and teachers leaving the profession. With the extreme pressures on beginning teachers, a large percentage of them leave the profession within their first 5-6 years. Causes for leaving the profession include school staffing actions; personal reasons; pursuing another job; and dissatisfaction.…

This report, commissioned by Wisconsin's superintendent of public instruction, focuses on methods of attracting, preparing, and retaining competent and dedicated teachers in Wisconsin schools. Part I consists of recommendations to attract competent individuals to careers in teaching: informing the public about career opportunities in education and…