Staying Close to Home: A Descriptive Analysis of the High School Graduates Who Return to Teach in Their Home District

Abstract

Given urban school and district administrators’ historical challenges with recruiting and retaining a high-quality, racially diverse teacher workforce, there is a need to better understand the factors shaping why graduates return to teach in their home district. This descriptive study examines the high school students who returned to teach in their home district—a large urban district in the southeastern United States. White female, economically privileged, and higher achieving graduates returned to teach at the highest rates, although notable differences by race/ethnicity were observed. Implications for urban teacher recruitment are discussed.