Rural Educator Recruitment And Retention 

The priority goals of the Colorado Center for Rural Education at UNC were developed in alignment with the provisions of Senate Bill 16-104 that established enabling legislation for a sustaining rural educator recruitment and retention program. The following four priority goals are outlined for Center operations. 

Major Goal 1: Establish a Pipeline of New Rural Teachers 

• Goal 1A – Increase the number of early education experiences for pre-collegiate students to encourage more individuals from rural school districts to consider teaching as a career 
• Goal 1B – Increase the number of pathways available to become a qualified teacher in rural school districts 

Major Goal 2: Increase the number of college students from rural districts who graduate from teacher preparation programs and who commit to student teaching in rural school districts. 

• Goal 2A – Develop a Rural Teaching Scholars program that identifies junior and senior teacher candidates who commit to complete their student teaching experiences in rural school districts 

Major Goal 3: Develop a Concurrent Enrollment Certification or National Board Certification of Teachers in Rural School Districts 

• Goal 3A – Increase the number of National Board Certified Teachers from high-need areas (e.g., science, mathematics, special education, or cultural/linguistic diversity) who are teaching in rural school districts 
• Goal 3B – Increase the number of teachers residing in rural districts and holding appropriate college degrees that return to complete requirements for Concurrent Enrollment Certification in high-need areas and who commit to teach in rural school districts 

Major Goal 4: Retain Rural Teachers 

• Goal 4A – Provide ongoing mentoring and professional development of teachers entering high-need, rural schools to increase retention during first year induction phase of their teaching careers through creation of a Rural Professional Development Network 
• Goal 4B – Assess, disseminate, and sustain the best recruitment and retention practices 

Major Goal 5: Cultivate Rural Education Scholarship and Advocacy 

• Goal 5A – Seek and secure external funding to promote high quality rural education that extend the vision and mission of the Colorado Center for Rural Education 
• Goal 5b – Develop a focused program of ongoing scholarly activities and research to support rural education