Insights on K-12 Music Teachers’ Retention in Rural, Geographically Isolated Areas: Stories of Success

Abstract

Due to the ever-growing teacher shortage, attention to the retention of teachers, in particular within rural settings, is important. While teacher retention studies have been conducted in lower grades and upper grade level teachers, particular focus on kindergarten through12 grade music teachers has yet to be done. The overarching objective of this qualitative study was to discover the stories of rural Missouri tenured music teachers and why they chose to remain in their rural place, guided by the conceptual underpinnings of rural education, rural music education, and rural teacher retention. Data collection included interviews with teachers, interviews with administrators, analyzed documents, and analyzed field notes collected from the six different school district building sites employing the participants. Two themes emerged through the six rural teachers’ stories: (a) administration and (b) culture. Transparent and bilateral administration communication with administration was coupled with continual student rapport building as overarching subthemes. Recommendations for rural administrators and professors of pre-service music teachers at institutions of higher education and implications for future research relevant in rural music education settings were included.

Keywords: Rural music education, Teacher retention, School culture

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-24-04

Publication date:August 31^st 2021