Missouri Releases First-Ever Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook

Jan 07, 2025

The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook, developed by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC), features eight cornerstones of a state system of recruitment and retention.

1. Effective teacher recruitment and retention requires the support of a state system
2. Statewide campaigns are needed to elevate the teaching profession
3. Effective teacher recruitment and retention requires collaboration and constituency building
4. Funding is essential and must be targeted
5. The tools of public policy need to be used strategically
6. Funding and policy choices trigger decisions related to teacher development
7. A state system needs to recognize the critical importance of teacher voice
8. Teacher retention requires the alignment of three factors: recruitment,
   development, and compensation

These eight cornerstones are the foundations of a system that ensures a supply of new teachers coming into the profession and the retention of high-quality teachers. As research confirms, high-quality teachers are the most important school-level variable in student achievement; therefore, supporting teachers is the best investment a state can make in its future citizens and workforce.

"The release of our own Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook provides a vision for the future, shaping how Missouri will address the challenges of the current teacher shortage and ensure a high-quality teacher is available for every student, in every classroom, in every school in our state," said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger.

"The need to recruit and retain teachers is now a national urgency," said William J. Slotnik, Chief Executive Officer of CTAC. "By planning carefully, allocating funds strategically, and coalescing all key constituencies, Missouri is taking the lead in catalyzing innovation and fostering promising strategies to address this need that is affecting every state. Missouri is the national exemplar for how a state system can show and support the way forward to the mutual benefit of students and educators."

Through the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Grants, DESE helped local education agencies, educator preparation programs, and community colleges across the state strengthen their existing strategies and experiment with innovative approaches for recruiting and retaining teachers.

Data was collected from grant recipients over the last three years to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program. The findings and other best practices identified during the grant evaluation were used to create the Missouri Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook.

The data confirmed with 95 percent confidence that the recruitment and retention grants resulted in positive growth in Grow Your Own (GYO) program enrollment and GYO graduation. GYO programs are designed to increase the supply of new teachers into the profession by identifying students and other support staff already in the school setting who have an interest in the teaching profession. The grant evaluation data also confirmed an increase in GYO graduates ultimately being certified to teach and hired by an LEA.

More information about the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook is available on the DESE's website here.