Cultivating a High-Quality and Committed Rural STEM Teacher Workforce in Illinois

National Opinion Research Center, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need to retain high-quality science and mathematics teachers (SMTs) in rural high-need schools. It is likely that SMT shortages will continue to be a problem in the foreseeable future due to limited interest in teaching as a career and the lingering impacts of COVID-19. One in five students across the country attends a rural school; therefore, addressing the rural teacher shortage is important to provide educational access for these students. Although the impact of high-quality science and mathematics teaching on student learning is well documented, and retaining high-quality teachers is critical for improving student outcomes, less is known about how to support effective teacher retention in rural schools. Improvements in teachers’ working conditions, including strong and supportive school leadership, collaborative colleagues, positive school cultures, parent and community connections, and ambitious instruction, can have a large positive impact on teaching effectiveness, student learning, and teacher retention. Given the dearth of research at scale on rural teacher retention, this project seeks to understand how rural district and school leaders can create positive working conditions and connections with the community, thus leading to greater retention of effective SMTs. This project at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago includes partnerships with the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative and the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools. Project goals include the identification of factors associated with SMT retention in rural schools, with a focus on working conditions in rural districts that lead to higher rates of retention of effective SMTs. Drawing on ecological systems theory and a place-conscious education framework, the project will consider both school-based and community-based factors that influence teacher working conditions and thus recruitment and retention trends in rural schools in the state of Illinois. This mixed methods study will address the following research questions: (1) What are the organizational and community characteristics that are associated with rural SMT retention and effectiveness? (2) What school and district policies, strategies, and practices contribute to rural SMT retention and effectiveness? The project team will collect and analyze data from several sources: teacher retention and vacancy rates; school climate and teacher surveys; interviews with school and district leaders, science and math teachers, and community members; and observations of science and math teaching in five “bright spot” rural districts. Findings from the study will generate insights into the role of school-, district-, and community-level factors in effective rural teacher retention. The project will also seek to contribute insights into how rural district investments toward cultivating effective and committed rural teachers may help support rural students’ interest in pursuing careers in STEM and STEM education. This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.