With teacher shortages remaining an ongoing concern for many states  and districts — and the conditions that bred them contributing to teacher strikes nationwide in the past two years — recruitment and retention are top of mind for K-12 administrators. Low and stagnant pay and benefits in the face of rising costs of living, as well as years of scapegoating by public officials, have made the profession unattractive to many.

The issue has hit specialized areas like STEM and special education particularly hard. And it's also impacted the principalship, where the average tenure is around three years.

To help you prepare for these challenges ahead of the start of the school year, we've gathered a selection of our recent reporting.

Principals share what keeps them in the profession: Some 35% of principals stay at their school for less than two years. Research from Learning Policy Institute and NASSP details why and offers strategies to improve those numbers.

The 50 States of Education Policy: What state legislatures tackled in their 2019 sessions: From an increase in student mental health resources to varying approaches to improving school safety, here are the major takeaways from this year's state legislative sessions.

NYC teacher leadership program touted as international model: In a survey, 70% of the New York City principals who responded agreed a joint district-union program helped them attract teachers, and 81% said it helped with retention of the most effective educators.

Teacher attrition demands new approaches to leadership, preparation: Experts say demanding rigorous preparation, building a career ladder and facilitating teacher collaboration are some ways to address ongoing shortages and high turnover rates.

PreparED: Prospective principals embrace thrill of leadership in revamped pipeline program: A program ending with a professional development session at a local Six Flags is just one small part of improved principal preparation efforts in Maryland's Prince George’s County Public Schools.

Principal Pipeline districts see stronger student achievement gains, retention: The RAND Corp. finds implementing a "cohesive" package of activities made the difference in improving the recruitment and retention of school leaders.

Districts create new structures for recruiting, retaining teachers of color: Two school systems' leaders shared their methods, including workforce planning teams and support systems, to find diverse candidates and ensure they don’t feel isolated after being placed in a school.