Since 2007, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has averaged an 81.5% teacher retention rate on their average of 2,295 teachers. This means that each year, OUSD needs to fill over 400 teaching positions. Nationally, the teacher retention rate is around 90%, and in California that number hovers at 88%. With this in mind, in January 2018, OUSD's…

In Liberia, recurring school absenteeism and post abandonment are considered critical obstacles to quality education. Although national political actors recognize absenteeism as a major impediment to quality education, studies on the factors influencing teacher attendance in the country, including national policies and practices at the community…

Prior to COVID-19 lockdowns, the Federal Republic of Nigeria had taken measures to improve the quality of education and of teachers' working conditions such as by improving school infrastructure and accelerating teacher training programs, and providing incentive schemes for teachers. While education is free and compulsory, Nigeria reports the…

In Rwanda, over 3.5 million children were estimated to be out of school in 2020 when the country closed all schools as a safety measure against the spread of COVID-19. The government quickly developed a national response plan and started the process of hiring teachers, constructing classrooms and training in-service teachers in remote-learning…

The international standards for teaching time in a year are 880 hours. In The Gambia, dedicated teaching time in a year is 734 hours. This reduced time is exacerbated by teacher absenteeism that varies across the different regions in the country from 12 to 30%, and is a barrier to achieving the required learning outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic is…

Fourteen years ago, as the Director of the Montana Rural Education Center at the University of Montana-Western, the author undertook the first comprehensive study of rural teachers' salaries and benefits in the state. This study is the fourth in fourteen years. Not only does it provide a clear picture of the salaries and working conditions of the…