Finding good teachers can be a daunting task. Knowing that our children are in good hands is important for both educators and parents. Therefore, recruiting and onboarding qualified educators is equally important.
In this recent PowerSchool-sponsored webinar, Dan Ryder, Director of Design and Innovation at CRCS Overman Schools in Maine, Greg Bagby, Instructional technology Coordinator at Hamilton County Schools, and Fred Scott, K-12 education veteran, discussed the recruiting and onboarding process in the education space.
Watch the full webinar for free on demand here
Unique Obstacles to Recruitment
While there are tried and tested methods for hiring employees, less traditional methods have become popular, especially in the education world, to overcome hiring obstacles. Greg Bagby worked as a teacher and principal and now works in the district office supporting principals in the process of selecting new teachers for their schools.
“In the Chattanooga area, we’re on the Tennessee-Georgia border and up until recently, like this year, the pay in my district was a little bit less than surrounding districts across the state line,” Bagby said. “So, in the beginning, it was a real challenge for us to recruit teachers to come into the district.”
The difference in support for public schools and their private counterparts also poses an obstacle when it comes to teachers deciding where to teach (and principals making public schools a desirable location).
Dan Ryder recalled how his district serves students from diverse backgrounds while also existing in a politically mixed environment, which influences the educational hiring process.
Fred Scott discussed how recruitment used to be a simple process for educational decision makers and what teachers are now looking for in terms of employment expectations.
“There are three things I’ve experienced in hiring and working with a large number of people: They want to be respected, they want their work to be inspected, and they also want to have solid expectations about what their job is. Those are the three things,” Scott said.
Being aware of what goals teachers have and where they want to be is important as it makes teachers feel more valued as employees and as people.
How to hire quality teachers
Regardless of the obstacles educational leaders may face, the selection process is important to providing quality education to students. Finding the right teachers may not involve the traditional selection process, as Ryder explained. Sometimes, it may involve venturing outside the box.
“We started doing what most people do, which is posting on job boards,” Ryder said. “That’s been our main driver for years. Then we also went to college fairs and visiting teacher prep programs, and that’s been good. But what’s really been helpful for us in getting the message out is using social media to constantly talk about what we’re doing and that we’re always looking for people.”
Word of mouth seems to be the preferred way to find educators who not only fit the culture of a school or district, but are also genuinely interested in working in that particular environment. Using platforms like facebook can be a great way to gain insight into what's going on within the school.
Using searches for larger districts can help you better define the type of teacher you are looking for. In this case, traditional recruiting can help, but modern recruiting practices can also help you better define teachers who will be a great fit for a particular school or district.
How to successfully integrate educators
After finding the right candidates, how you onboard them into a new culture is key to helping build a strong relationship.
Scott explained that creating a clear line of communication between teachers and their superiors is important to foster continued success. It is also important to be clear about what teachers are expected to do in the classroom. Offering support, training and resources can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful teachers.
Bagby said she treats prospective teachers as if they're already part of the team. This can involve in-class activities, but it can also include activities outside of class, such as taking teachers out to lunch. Talking about teaching and expectations in a comfortable setting can help people relax, Bagby said, and giving teachers a stress-free introduction to a school's culture can go a long way toward giving teachers a fruitful start at a new school or district.
