Recruiting Teachers to Rural Kansas

Dr. Simmons, a professor at a rural university in Virginia, published an article in 2005 summarizing solutions found in literature related to recruiting teachers to rural areas. These solutions hold much promise for administrators in rural areas of Kansas as they begin to recruit for the 2008-2009 school year. Below are the main points that Dr. Simmons discusses in her article Recruiting Teachers for Rural Schools.

“Show rural like as it actually is”

• Safe school buildings
• Close knit communities
• Low cost of living

“Make the personal connection”

• Use a team approach to share information about the community and district with interviewees
• Provide testimonials from teachers, board members, and parents

“Make housing information available”

• Have a list of available houses for rent and sale
• Provide a list of Realtors with names, addresses, and phone numbers
• Have a Realtor available if the interviewee would like to look at potential properties

“Put salaries in perspective”

• Explain monetary benefits of living in a rural area
• Provide a cost analysis of food, housing, utilities, and insurance rates

Reference: Simmons, M.J. (2005) Recruiting Teachers for Rural Schools. Principal Leadership. (5)5, 48 - 52.