Recruiting and retaining educators in rural areas

One third of teachers nationwide leave the profession after five years. That's according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania.

The higher education committee met at the capitol today to discuss how to recruit and retain teachers in rural areas. Texas Tech University's "Tech Teach Program" gives teachers an incentive to stay put.

“Teachers aids and others who have finished their associate's degree at a community college can go online and for a year finish up education requirements to be certified to teach. They're already located in their communities, and it's already their home, so how can they be certified to be teachers in that community where they already are?” said Dr. Bennett Boggs, Program Principal, National Conference of State Legislature.

Other states leading the way in solving retention issues include Delaware,which focuses on loan forgiveness and supplemental pay, and North Carolina and Colorado, which offer moving expenses as well as cheaper and contract-based housing options to teachers.