A graduate research team from the Clinton School of Public Service partnered with Arkansas Teacher Corps during the 2022-23 school year to explore the most salient factors for recruitment, retention, and attrition of teachers in Arkansas. The team conducted a combination of surveys and interviews with ATC fellows, non-fellow teachers, and education coops to examine best practices and current supports that are available to teachers and schools across the state.

From this, the team developed the “Grow-Your-Own Playbook”, a toolkit with resources to bolster recruitment and retention in both ATC and the Arkansas public school system. Administrative support at the building level is the most salient factor for teacher retention. The Playbook contains a checklist for administrators and a check-in template for teachers aligned to the 5C’s of administrative support that foster teacher retention: Communication, Culture, Cohesiveness, Connections, and Confidence in Competency.