Teacher Recruitment and Retention Opportunities
An unintended consequence of our current economic climate is that school districts and administrators can exercise greater bargaining and evaluation power in their recruitment, training, and retention of teaching professionals. School systems should use these times not to merely down-size their teacher corps because their budgets warrant some faculty reductions, but to do so in ways that are strategic and lead to greater teacher effectiveness and school efficiencies. A close reexamination of existing hiring, retention, and professional development processes can help school leaders attract the highest quality classroom teachers for every schoolhouse in America
Unfortunately (or fortunately), there are thousands of highly qualified people who have suffered job losses over the past year. Amid this pool of well trained professionals who represent almost every industry and profession imaginable, school leaders are sure to find some very promising classroom teachers. Some may be seeking a total career change while others may view their time of transition as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of America's schoolchildren. The net result is that the pool of teacher applicants has expanded in ways that allow administrators to focus on the most qualified and attractive candidates, whether certified classroom teachers or otherwise. School human resource executives are now in the enviable position of being able to really pick and choose teacher candidates who meet qualitative and credentialed standards. The critical task, though, for administrators is to clearly define and know precisely what skill sets, personal attributes, qualifications, and experiences are deemed relevant to the job of classroom teacher. This calls for an expansion of traditonal modes and methods of hiring and rewarding teaching professionals.
Many teacher evaluation methods need to be restructured in order to reflect the collaborative and team teaching approaches being employed in most schools. The less structured pedagogical frameworks that we find in learning spaces of all sizes cannot be examined through lenses that value old, traditional formats. It seems evident that any revamped teacher assessment model will have to measure the progress of a teacher group or cohort. In this way, it becomes much more difficult to ascertain how well or not individual teachers are performing and growing as professionals. The individual evaluations may have to be left to the peer group or cohort members, which can be an effective way to impose self-checks and ensure that each participant is carrying their fair share of the overall responsibilities. Teacher performance and progression should also provide the basis for improving decisions related to tenure and incentive bonuses. As educators continue to elevate and advance teaching as a preferred career choice, they must carefully implement incentive systems that reward academic goals and priorities that are aligned with the high academic standards that we are pushing for on behalf of young people everywhere.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), there are thousands of highly qualified people who have suffered job losses over the past year. Amid this pool of well trained professionals who represent almost every industry and profession imaginable, school leaders are sure to find some very promising classroom teachers. Some may be seeking a total career change while others may view their time of transition as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of America's schoolchildren. The net result is that the pool of teacher applicants has expanded in ways that allow administrators to focus on the most qualified and attractive candidates, whether certified classroom teachers or otherwise. School human resource executives are now in the enviable position of being able to really pick and choose teacher candidates who meet qualitative and credentialed standards. The critical task, though, for administrators is to clearly define and know precisely what skill sets, personal attributes, qualifications, and experiences are deemed relevant to the job of classroom teacher. This calls for an expansion of traditonal modes and methods of hiring and rewarding teaching professionals.
Many teacher evaluation methods need to be restructured in order to reflect the collaborative and team teaching approaches being employed in most schools. The less structured pedagogical frameworks that we find in learning spaces of all sizes cannot be examined through lenses that value old, traditional formats. It seems evident that any revamped teacher assessment model will have to measure the progress of a teacher group or cohort. In this way, it becomes much more difficult to ascertain how well or not individual teachers are performing and growing as professionals. The individual evaluations may have to be left to the peer group or cohort members, which can be an effective way to impose self-checks and ensure that each participant is carrying their fair share of the overall responsibilities. Teacher performance and progression should also provide the basis for improving decisions related to tenure and incentive bonuses. As educators continue to elevate and advance teaching as a preferred career choice, they must carefully implement incentive systems that reward academic goals and priorities that are aligned with the high academic standards that we are pushing for on behalf of young people everywhere.
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