Teacher Retention Rates: An Examination of Factors Affecting Teacher Retention in Rural and Urban Areas (Poster 33)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 3:20 p.m.
  In Invited Poster Session: 2025 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

Teacher shortages have increased worldwide, with an anticipated shortage of 69 million teachers in the next 15 years (Michael et al. 2022). This can be attributed to an increase in teacher burnout. Rural areas are especially affected by these shortages, as remote locations make it difficult to attract qualified teachers; some rural schools have even begun to rely on virtual teachers (Michael et al. 2022). This staffing imbalance is growing between rural and urban school districts. In addition to the challenges facing all districts, such as low pay, insufficient benefits, and a lack of respect for the teaching profession, rural schools must also deal with geographic isolation and financial difficulties, making teacher retention even more difficult (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell 2019). The objective of this article is to address the factors that affect teacher retention rates in rural and urban areas in the United States and how they differ between the two locales. This study employs multivariate ordinary least squares regression to examine the relationship between regional teacher retention rates and various fiscal, policy, and environmental factors, among others. It was found that teacher salary and the rural retention rate are significantly correlated. Additionally, the teacher certification rate and expenditure per student are statistically significant with the urban teacher retention rate. The results present insights for future policies that promote an increase in teacher retention rates. For the next steps, I intend to use Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression to yield a more parsimonious model.

Author

• Emma E. Francis, West Virginia University