A needle in a haystack : a single case study on how school administrators attract, select, and retain highly qualified teachers in rural private schools.

The recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers continue to challenge rural private schools due to limited applicant pools, teacher attrition, insufficient salary and benefits, and financial constraints (Ingersoll & Tran, 2023; Sutcher et al., 2019; Taie & Lewis, 2023; Wilson, 2024). These challenges threaten organizational stability and long-term sustainability, particularly in rural contexts. Understanding how school leaders proactively address teacher recruitment and retention is essential to supporting the vitality of rural private schools. Using Schneider’s (1987) attraction, selection, attrition (ASA) theory, I designed this embedded single case study to explore how rural private school administrators describe the strategies they use to attract, select, and retain highly qualified teachers. In this study, I chose to focus on retention rather than attrition, identifying proactive behaviors used by administrators rather than reactive outcomes. I purposefully selected four participants, each representing an embedded unit to gather data through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. I conducted a thematic analysis using two cycles of coding and a within case analysis to understand how administrators approached attracting, selecting, and retaining highly qualified teachers in rural Episcopal schools. The findings revealed several consistent patterns. During the attraction phase, administrators promoted an appealing identity and culture. They highlighted the Episcopal identity, celebrated the strong community, and used word-of-mouth networks and social media to generate interest among potential candidates. These strategies allowed leaders to frame their schools as mission-driven communities that offer a distinctive educational experience. During selection, administrators chose candidates based upon personality and fit within their school’s culture. After evaluation, intuition guided the administrator’s final selection. Participants created supportive work environments to improve retention and described low salaries and insufficient benefits as barriers to retention. This study strengthens the application of ASA theory within the rural private school context and offers clear implications for leaders and accrediting bodies. I recommend that Episcopal school accrediting bodies and support organizations develop regional recruitment pipelines, develop consistent selection practices, and advocate for stronger compensation structures that support teacher stability in rural Episcopal schools.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Lenz, Alan W., 1970-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• O'Connor Marsano, Erin.

• Rural schools.
• Private schools.
• Teacher attrition.
• Teacher retention.
• Teacher turnover.
• Teacher recruitment.
• Episcopal.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14683

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14683