Teacher Shortages and Turnover in Rural Schools in the US: An Organizational Analysis

Purpose: The objective of this study is to provide an overall national portrait of elementary and secondary teacher shortages and teacher turnover in rural schools, comparing rural schools to suburban and urban schools. This study utilizes an organizational theoretical perspective focusing on the role of school organization and leadership in the causes of, and solutions to, teacher shortages and staffing problems. Data/Methods: The study entailed secondary statistical analyses of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey, its successor the National Teacher Principal Survey, and their supplement the Teacher Follow-Up Survey, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. Findings: The analyses document that, contrast to urban and suburban schools, the student population and teaching force in rural schools has dramatically shrunk in recent decades, that despite this decrease in students, and demand for teachers, rural schools have faced serious difficulties filling their teaching positions, and that these teacher staffing problems are driven by high levels of preretirement teacher turnover. Moreover, the data document that teacher turnover varies greatly between different kinds of schools, is especially high in high-poverty rural schools, and is closely tied to the organizational characteristics and working conditions of rural schools. Implications: Research and reform on teacher shortages and turnover have focused on urban environments because of an assumption that schools in those settings suffer from the most serious staffing problems. This study shows that teacher shortages and teacher turnover in rural schools, while relatively neglected, have been as significant a problem as in other schools.