The purpose of this study was to determine the reasons high-quality rural veteran
educators choose to remain in small, rural district settings and to identify common factors
among small rural school districts that have high numbers of highly qualified veteran
teachers. The study is relevant to school leaders and school boards within small rural
communities seeking to develop policies and encourage strategies to keep high-quality
educators from leaving districts. The motivation-hygiene theory of job satisfaction
developed by Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman (1993), coupled with Rosenholtz’s
(1989) 10 essential components for working together were utilized throughout the study
to evaluate the motivations of high-quality veteran rural educators. A self-administered
survey and telephone interviews were utilized to gather data, which revealed high-quality
veteran teachers choose to remain in the small, rural school setting due to intrinsic
motivators. It was learned strong support from fellow educators and the community
contributed to the desire of rural educators to remain employed within their districts.
Data revealed educators were interested in autonomy within the classroom and support
from administrators. Research indicated small, rural schools with high numbers of highly
qualified veteran teachers have high levels of administrative support. These educators
have a sense of belonging within their districts and high levels of job satisfaction.
Opportunities for educators to collaborate are readily available and support is given
through teacher evaluations. Additionally, these educators feel connections within their
school communities, which enable them to better teach the district's students. Lastly,
educators voiced school climate played a large role in their decisions to stay in the small,
rural setting.