Teach For America (TFA) was founded in 1989 to address the educational inequities facing children in low-income communities across the United States by expanding the pool of teacher candidates available to the schools those children attend. TFA recruits seniors and recent graduates from colleges around the country, people who are willing to…

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…

Site leaders at the Southern Arizona Writing Project needed to increase their pool of summer institute applicants, so they created a plan to recruit early. They invited interested teachers, principals, and district administrators to attend their "Slice of SAWP" on the last day of the summer institute. The site sent out acceptance letters…

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) developed this report to promote greater understanding of underlying teacher education issues, in connection with continuing state-level activity and the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. This paper offers a brief overview of five interrelated topics pertaining to…

If recent efforts to raise student achievement are to succeed, all school children must have access to highly skilled teachers. Research increasingly demonstrates that teachers are critical influences on student learning. In addition to discussion of how to produce an adequate supply of teachers with the requisite skills, research reveals much…

The number of students enrolling in computer science programs is decreasing. The number of women enrolling in computer science is also decreasing. What isn't decreasing, however, is the need by companies for their employees to enter the workforce with computer knowledge. In answer to these decreasing numbers and increasing demands, computer…

With the 2002 enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), GAO was mandated to review the Troops-to-Teachers program, which provides financial assistance and counseling to help military personnel obtain their teacher licenses, especially in priority subject areas, such as math and science, and find employment in high-need districts and…

Research increasingly demonstrates what common sense has long made apparent to educators and parents: Teacher quality matters--a lot. Teachers' knowledge and skills are the most vital in-school factors influencing children's learning. And, for children from disadvantaged backgrounds or troubled home environments, quality teaching is even more…

The position of school principal has become unattractive; consequently, fewer qualified applicants are appearing to fill vacancies. To recruit new principals and retain veteran principals, a new model of the principalship is needed. This paper reviews research on factors that influence applicants and presents a brief overview of efforts to…

School districts nationwide, but especially rural districts, are finding it hard to recruit and retain administrators. In the past 25 years, administrators have had to address increasing demands for special programs, collaborative decision making, and accountability. In addition, potential for conflict with school boards and various constituencies…

Each year more than 572,500 international students enroll in more than 3,300 colleges and universities in the United States. Currently, about 84,000 of these students attend community colleges. Why do so many international students choose to pursue higher education in the United States? First, U.S. colleges and universities welcome and value…

Contemporary educational theory holds that one of the pivotal causes of inadequate student achievement, especially in disadvantaged schools, is the inability of schools to adequately staff classrooms with qualified teachers. Deficits in the quantity of teachers produced and in the quality of preparation prospective teachers receive have long been…

For well over a decade, the "graying" of the library profession has been the subject of much discussion. To examine this issue the Library Research Service (LRS) initiated the study, "Retirement, Retention, and Recruitment: The Future of Librarianship in Colorado." During the last quarter of 2003, 1,241 librarians,…

Two studies examined turnover among newly hired residential direct support workers in community homes serving people with developmental disabilities. In Study 1, 110 community homes for people with mental retardation in Minnesota were surveyed for facility and residential characteristics, direct support worker wages and benefits, recruitment and…

This book examines the barriers that African American students encounter in colleges that are predominantly white. Although many people, and much of the media, have presented a picture of U.S. universities as strongholds of multiculturalism that are devoted to racial equality. Interviews with 36 randomly selected black juniors and seniors at a…