Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
College of Education
Committee Chair
Juliann Sergi McBrayer
Committee Member 1
Antonio Gutierrez de Blume
Committee Member 2
Eric Landers
Abstract
The retention of teachers has long been a concern among schools of all sizes and locations throughout the United States. In addition to school related factors, often small, rural communities lack the services and amenities of larger districts. This combination of school related shortcomings and lack of community offerings has created a critical teacher shortage for many small, rural school districts and requires urgent attention in regard to teacher retention strategies.
This quantitative study focused on the impacts of both school and community related factors as related to teacher retention in a small, rural school district. Using survey data, this study found that school related factors played a larger role in the retention of teachers than did community factors. This study found that among the school factors teachers considered important, competitive salaries and support from administration were among the most successful teacher retention strategies. Implications for practice indicate that school district leaders must find ways to keep teacher salaries in small, rural communities competitive with larger more urban communities while at the same time actively providing administrative support. Recommendations for future studies include an examination of alternative compensation options, and what administrative evidence-based supports are necessary to increase teacher retention.
INDEX WORDS: Teacher retention, Teacher recruitment, Rural schools, Teacher Compensation, Administrative support
OCLC Number
1544770749
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916635144902950
Recommended Citation
Scott, Brian C., "School and Community Factors That Influence Retention of Highly Qualified Teachers in a Small Rural School District" (2025). Theses & Dissertations. 3017.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/3017
Research Data and Supplementary Material
Yes
