Teachers are a very important aspect of the lives of children and adult students. The work of education professionals is inextricably linked to the success of students, schools and states. The shortage of teachers is increasing due to the lack of certification and qualification of some. This paper will address the special education teacher shortage, rural teacher shortages, and other educators; also, how to recruit and retain teachers who are already in the teaching profession and what contributes to the decline in the number of teachers. Rural schools suffer most from a lack of sufficient teachers due to high turnover rates and hiring difficulties. Many rural school teachers are subjected to poor areas, isolation from population concentrations, access to medical facilities, and poor weather conditions. Rural schools have a lower than average number of highly qualified teachers. Some of the challenges in rural schools are outdated textbooks, lack of technology, and increased workload for teachers. Rural school teachers are responsible for teaching multiple courses and disciplines, covering extracurricular activities and teaching “off-field.” http://blog/betterhighschools.org Students are taught by teachers who do not have the sufficient knowledge and skills critical to a quality education. Having a large percentage of students with special needs and those with limited English skills makes it difficult to recruit and retain quality teachers. Due to the smaller size of schools and rural communities, the number of students and teachers is smaller. (Monk, DH) The federal government gave schools a three-year extension to ensure that all their teachers were highly qualified as required by law. In October 1998 he presides... halfway through the document... sends out programs for future teachers. In Florida, for critical shortage areas, the legislature created a program that forgives loans in exchange for tuition service. Mississippi offers teacher scholarships, high school through college programs, college tuition, incentive loans for teachers serving in rural areas with teacher shortages, scholarships for certified teachers seeking advanced training while working in a shortage area and home loans or rental housing for teachers in shortage areas. Mississippi also has a professional on staff in the education department who recruits teachers both in state and out of state. (Collins, 1999) www.eric.ed.govIn summary, having a teacher shortage can be harmful. Teachers are needed to help with student success. Having great recruitment and retention strategies will help overcome the teacher shortage.