How The Largest School Districts Are Attracting Talent

by Human ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

Teachers, administration, and faculty are the backbone of any school district. However according to the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), most of America’s biggest school districts are facing staffing shortages threatening their talent supply. While schools were already facing shortages, the pandemic greatly worsened them and their impact on school districts. With teachers and staff being so crucial to keeping schools running, many districts are being forced to get creative with their talent attraction efforts.

One major incentive school districts are now using is greater professional development opportunities. According to a study done by Brookings, 84 out of the 89 interviewed school districts planned to offer more professional development opportunities for staff, such as workshops and training. Some classes include helping teachers to better identify struggling students and know how to better support students emotionally. About a quarter of schools stated they planned to also offer coaching, mentoring, and well-being programs. Programs like these are attractive for staff, as it teaches them skills that make them more competitive and valuable in their careers.

Another method some districts are implementing is making a more direct pipeline for new staff to enter the workforce. For example according to Brookings, some districts are working with local universities to hire new graduating teachers, creating a direct path from college to career. According to the New York Times, states like NJ are publicizing passing rates on teacher licensing exams, showing new college students the best paths into education, and what types of teachers are the most in-demand. Other districts are making it more affordable for teachers and staff to start their careers, such as by offering new teacher residency programs or by reimbursing tuition for school nurses. Programs like these make it easier for schools to proactively find talent before talent finds them.

Some schools are even relaxing rigid restrictions and teacher certification requirements to open the door to a wider talent pool. Schools in New Jersey for example recently just proposed a plan to lift a residency restriction requiring candidates to live in the state to be eligible to teach there. This will give NJ schools greater access to more qualified talent outside of the state and help to fight their staffing shortages. Some other measures NJ is taking include removing an outdated teacher performance assessment called the edTPA. According to NJ.com, this would remove unnecessary hoops for teachers to jump through while still keeping hiring standards high.

One other method school districts are using is simply paying their teachers more or offering better financial incentives to attract new teachers and keep current ones. According to Calder, things such as loan forgiveness programs, educational stipends, and bonus programs significantly reduced turnover. In special education for instance, annual bonuses of just $2,500 were enough to lower attrition. Other school districts are also offering signing bonuses as well as retention bonuses to teachers who stay with the district. Giving teachers and faculty greater financial incentives will increase a school’s attractiveness to candidates in the job market.

SCG Advertising + PR helps over 350 schools in New Jersey with their recruitment advertising. If you need help filling your open positions, visit our website at: www.scgadv.com

All Levels Of Education Sector Must Invest In Relationships, Reputation To Battle Coronavirus Disruption

by AdvertisingBrandingCommunity AwarenessEducationHuman ResourcesPublic Relations
The loss of life – as well as health and safety issues – remains the primary issue when talking about the coronavirus pandemic. That said, economic and societal disruption cannot be ignored.  The education sector, from pre-school to our higher education institutions, finds itself in the direct path of the storm and needing to prepare for the next waves.education battle coronavirus disruption

 

The action plans required to navigate the new-normal are extensive and detailed, and emphasis should rightly be placed on instruction and learning, technology, infrastructure, and financial considerations. None of those issues, however, will matter if schools can’t sustain meaningful relationships with their long list of publics. Parents and students are more tolerant of change and disturbances if they have trust.  Educators and staff are willing to go the extra mile if they have faith. Partners and suppliers are more open-minded if they believe a school is credible. Individuals and institutions are more giving when they have confidence.

 

Senior educational leaders will undoubtedly spend the next few months discussing important, tangible assets that ensure the delivery of education, but how much time will be spent on intangible assets like reputation, relationships, and brand?

 

Important Intangible assets

 

Intangible assets – like reputation, relationships, and brands — will first be defined by behavior and then by communication. Every organization must accept that it operates with the permission of those it serves, including students, parents, employees, regulators, partners, and a lengthy list of others. Moving forward, every action and behavior must be focused on earning and maintaining permission and trust to operate.  In the end, reputation is a simple formula: EXPECTATION + CREDIBILITY. Organizations must meet or exceed expectations and achieve credibility by doing what they say they will do in all facets of the organization, down to the very smallest detail.

 

When it comes to communication, every organization must fortify its antenna to become more effective at listening, and more attentive to relevant sights, sounds, and sentiments. They must accept and communicate vulnerability and values and give power to their conscience, ethics, and empathy, thus empowering others to act. They must speak clearly, consistently, and honestly across all platforms – paid, earned, shared, and owned. Communication must be systematic, process-driven, proactive, and reactive, and also reach to all ends of the organization, both internal and external, prioritizing those directly impacted first … but realizing that information spreads.

 

There will be bumps along the way, and some may ignite a frenzied response from the media. The industry should also anticipate government, legal, and consumer actions, along with dis-informational attacks. And all of this will negatively impact reputation and the bottom line.  Schools must soon identify and cultivate third-party advocates to speak on their behalf, quickly knock down misinformation, and employ attitude inoculation or pre-bunking techniques.

 

When it comes to maintaining and building intangible assets like relationships and reputation, there’s no magic solution. Instead, taking appropriate steps now will ensure an organization’s ongoing viability. Bottom line: educational leaders must prioritize investment in intangible assets and the professionals who manage them if they hope to survive and ultimately thrive in the post-coronavirus world.

 

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