In August 2023, REL Northwest hosted a webinar to engage rural school leaders and staff in identifying strategies to improve working conditions and teacher retention. Based on previous work from REL Northwest’s partnership with Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) in Alaska, this webinar shared valuable lessons learned from research and work with LKSD on monitoring and improving working conditions in the district.

You can view the recording of the one-hour webinar below to learn more about research findings on teacher working conditions and a process for using research and local data to identify actionable strategies to improve working conditions in rural schools and districts. In addition to the webinar, you can view the accompanying handout as well as the REL Northwest–produced fact sheet Addressing Working Conditions to Improve Teacher Retention: An Exploration of the Research, which displays eight categories that may influence a teacher’s decision to stay or leave.

The webinar includes perspectives and insights from practitioners and researchers including

• Kimberly Hankins, Rural Superintendent of Schools, Lower Kuskokwim Schools, Alaska,
• Dr. Jayne Downey, Montana State University Professor of Education, Rural Schools, and
• leading researchers on teacher working conditions.

Online Availability