In order to address the nationwide problem of teaching shortages impacting Rhode Island schools, the Rhode Island Department of Education’s (RIDE) 2021–2027 Strategic Plan commits to supporting local education agencies in the development of strategies to attract, recruit, and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce that reflects Rhode Island’s students.

In this reference guide, developed in collaboration with the Region 2 Comprehensive Center, RIDE offers strategies to support statewide efforts to grow an effective and diverse educator workforce. Rhode Island school districts and policymakers can find recommendations addressing workforce diversity, recruitment and hiring, and onboarding and retention considerations, including:

  • Setting intentional goals regarding the recruitment of educators of color and interrupting bias at all stages of the process
  • Crafting recruitment plans and hiring materials that attract and help select culturally responsive learner-ready candidates
  • Developing robust onboarding and retention practices to retain educators despite an increasingly competitive job market and high teacher attrition rate
  • Appendices with further references to support recruiting and hiring efforts