Fast-Track Teacher Recruitment.

Today's human resources office needs a strategy and the latest tools to fill personnel needs

The growing shortage of certified teachers and qualified principals makes it essential for a successful school system to have three things: a Renaissance human resources director, a strategic plan for staffing schools and a fast-track recruitment program.

The Renaissance human resources director must create a dynamic new perception for staffing the schools, including greater attention to customer satisfaction. This new vision also must address issues of supply, recruitment, stabilization of newly hired staff, retention of veteran staff and how to capitalize on the expertise of retirees and other former employees.

In addition, the successful human resources directors of today will be those whose offices have the capacity to act with lightning speed in the hiring process. Those who continue to operate at the glacial pace of the past will be gone with the wind in this age of pressing personnel needs in our schools.

Key Components

Here are, in my view, what the Renaissance human resources office must be willing to do to succeed in this new environment:

* Customer satisfaction.

School district employees involved in the hiring process need to be trained in public relations techniques, telephone etiquette and positive customer service approaches. In many situations, the only contact a job applicant will make with a school district is his or her connection with an individual in the personnel office. The recruitment of that applicant may hinge on how the individual is treated by the receptionist during a telephone call of less than a minute.

* Candidate supply.

You cannot reap what you have not sown. Concerted actions must be taken to increase the number of college students majoring in teacher education. The critical point in time is when a student entering college designates his or her major field of study.

Special activities promoting teaching opportunities must be directed to students in middle schools and high schools through career awareness programs and magnet schools. Human resource directors can encourage their school districts to sponsor Future Educators of America programs. The ideal scenario would be to have such a program operating in every middle school and high school.

The federal government, state governments and school districts have a duty to devise creative methods for attracting individuals into teaching. The state legislature in Georgia recently began offering full tuition scholarships to individuals who promise to teach school in the state. The South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment runs a Teacher Cadet Program for high school students and a similar career awareness initiative for middle school students.

* Recruitment.

Each school district needs a strategic plan to define long-range, short-range, annual and monthly activities relating to recruitment. It must address customer relations, marketing, methods of recruitment, time schedules, employment goals, diversity, job fairs, international recruitment and other employment issues.

While most school districts make recruiting visits to college campuses, the DeKalb County school system in Decatur, Ga., uses a reverse strategy. Once a year, our district invites about 30 college placement directors to visit us for two days. The placement directors meet the superintendent, school board members, instructional leaders and teachers who are alumni of their institutions. The guests travel by school bus to see schools, the special education center and our science center. They dine in school cafeterias and conclude with a visit to a Major League Baseball game.

* Stabilizing and Retaining.

Recruitment is much more than hiring people. Numerous studies suggest that approximately 50 percent of the teachers hired annually will resign from their jobs within five years. School districts can take several measures to retain newly hired staff.

The school principal is the person with the most influence on teacher retention. The assignment of classes to a new teacher is the starting point. Unfortunately, newcomers frequently are assigned the least desirable classes in the school or made "floating" teachers with no classrooms of their own. These unfortunate duty assignments have significant bearing on a new teacher's outlook.

Attention to orienting, mentoring and staff development for new teachers also contributes to stabilization of new staff.

Financial incentives can smooth the transition for new staff. The DeKalb County district provides a $1,500 salary advance to new teachers and then recovers the funds by deducting $125 from each of 12 monthly paychecks. The Baltimore Public Schools provide newcomers to teaching with $5,000 toward the purchase of a home, and several school districts now offer signing bonuses. Boston offers a $20,000 signing bonus to a select group of teacher applicants.

Incentives also can be used to retain veteran teachers, who usually have a greater interest than newcomers in employee benefits and retirement plans. School districts can provide tax-sheltered annuity and mutual fund investment programs. Customized employee benefit statements can be prepared to keep employees informed about the total benefit package. Recognition programs can honor staff members at various seniority levels and district newsletters can provide another way to call attention to long-serving faculty.

* Retired Employees.

The shortage of certified educators is leading to the re-employment of retired teachers in a growing number of locations.

The Arizona legislature recently enacted legislation that permits retired teachers to be rehired by schools without any loss in retirement benefits. Neither the employee nor the school district is required to pay retirement contributions. The teacher can earn a full teaching salary and draw full retirement benefits simultaneously. The school district wins by filling a job without contributing to the state teacher retirement system. Students gain by having an experienced teacher lead their class.

Job share plans for retired teachers also are gaining attention. In this scenario, two teachers each work a 19-hour week to fill one teaching post. This is a bargain for the district since no benefit expenses are provided.

Latest Technology

In no area must the human resource office make more dramatic strides than in its use of technology. For too long, public school recruitment has lagged behind the business world in the way we use the latest resources.

Commercially produced software for school district business functions was almost nonexistent until the last decade. Recruitment software today allows for the seamless and total resource management of electronic data in all categories of school operations, including paperless job applicant tracking systems. The technology includes scanning equipment, bar codes, optical character recognition, intelligent character recognition, the Internet and e-mail.

National databases for job applicants in education began appearing over the last couple of years, and several new innovations have entered the human resources workplace over recent months. These include applications via the Internet, virtual business cards, reading machines for data input, teacher job application databases and fingerprinting scanners.

* Job applications via the Internet.

State-of-the-art software now enables your office to receive job applications via the Internet, to immediately evaluate or filter the credentials of the applicant, send an immediate e-mail response, route the application to the personnel administrator with hiring authority, send out electronic evaluation forms to the references listed, order transcripts or college placement files electronically, order copies of teaching certificates from state certification offices and transfer all job applicant data to the applicant's electronic master file located in the school system's mainframe computer. Each of these processes can occur within microseconds without human intervention.

Several school districts in Florida have installed this new software, including Collier County, Leon County and St. Lucie County. School districts in DeKalb County, Ga., and Colonial Heights, Va., are installing the software.

The software also permits principals to post job vacancy notices immediately, to search the school district's job applicant database, to view any selected applicant's electronic portfolio and to invite applicants via e-mail to set up an interview. The job applicant database includes information on current employees who have applied for transfers or promotions.

* Virtual promotional brochures.

These are laser disks--rectangular in shape and rounded on the ends-that contain audio and video data about a school district's community features, instructional programs and employment opportunities. The program on the disk concludes by connecting the viewer's computer to the school district's Internet home page and on-line job application.

The virtual brochures, first developed by the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Grapevine, Texas, are distributed to job applicants at college visitations, job fairs and at every recruitment opportunity. The laser disk was the inspiration of Louise Henry, the district's director of development and community relations. Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Ariz., also uses one for teacher recruitment.

* Reading machines for data input.

These devices, similar to scanners, convert printed or typed numbers and letters printed on forms into alpha-numerical characters using intelligent character recognition. The reading machines also automatically encode the documents in the manner prescribed by the user. The paper application (if still in use) and all forms required of applicants can be processed into the new job applicants' electronic portfolios.

* Teacher job application databases.

School districts can search teacher candidate databases to obtain completed applications. The American Association for Employment in Education may have developed the first multistate database for linking teacher job applicants with school districts that have job vacancy listings. The AAEE site (www.aaee.org) has been operating for eight years. The trade publication Education Week plans to launch a teacher recruitment site.

A more advanced teacher job application database recently was developed by California State University. It can be accessed at www.CalTeach.com. The CalTeach electronic application portfolio even includes audio and video clips, and the system can instantly translate written data into several different languages. Several state education agencies, including Delaware (www. teachdelaware.com) and Georgia (www.teachgeorgia.org), also operate teacher application databases.

In August, the U.S. Department of Education and Recruiting New Teachers, based in Belmont, Mass., launched the National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse (www.recruitingteachers.org)for use by applicants and school districts with teacher vacancies. At this site, users can link to dozens of other teacher job application databases, providing access to thousands of teacher applicants. Many school districts assign staff members to search what are now estimated to be more than 21,000 teacher job applicant databases on the Internet.

* Electronic fingerprint scans.

The National Child Protection Act of 1993, a federal law, permits public school systems to access the FBI criminal records for background checks. Some states have passed legislation permitting districts to access state criminal records, as well. Electronic live-scan fingerprinting machines enable school personnel offices to handle this duty efficiently.

Before extending a job offer, the personnel office can fingerprint a candidate using a scanning device, without the need of ink. The fingerprint scan can be sent via the Internet to the state crime information center and the FBI with a response possible within seconds. Because 99 percent of the teacher job applicants have no criminal record on file, this technology expedites the employment process.

A New Age

What these measures in total amount to is the dawning of a new age in a school district's human resources operation. Traditional approaches no longer will be good enough in this time of critical teacher supply and need.

School districts with a Renaissance human resources director, a pledge toward customer service, a well-conceived strategic plan and state-of-the-art equipment will be able to fill teacher vacancies rapidly with the best candidates available.

Dean Grant is the executive director of staff services for the DeKaIb County School District, 3770 N. Decatur Road, Decatur, Ga. 30032.

Web-Based Recruiting

JAMES S. HEAD

Often after I have finished a presentation on using the Internet for teacher recruitment, a school district administrator will come up to say, "We are in the planning stages on our teacher recruitment Web site." A year later, if I encounter someone from the same district, I'll probably hear the same refrain.

All the while that school district plans, it is passing up the chance to use an essential teacher recruitment tool. There was a time when teachers primarily searched newspaper classified sections for job openings. No longer. Teachers today, especially those at the beginning of their careers, often start their job search on the World Wide Web.

If your Web site is not designed to serve your personnel needs, you are simply not in the candidates' line of vision.

A Fast Track

To get your district's teacher recruitment Web site on-line, I have devised a five-day work plan that includes "Roadblock Alerts." These common obstacles prevent districts from making progress in their on-line recruitment.

* Day 1: Organize resources.

Determine how your Web site will be published. This means identifying your Web server, a computer hooked to the Internet, which allows you to distribute Web pages.

Roadblock Alert: Most people get hung up trying to organize local resources to do this. If you aren't currently equipped to do this, contact a local Internet Service Provider. The provider will take care of the rest. A simple page or two should be inexpensive. Tell your ISP you need to be online in five days.

Identify relevant staff. This includes people involved in recruiting, any staff interested and/or skilled in Web development and technical staff, if you have them.

Roadblock Alert: Staff will be inclined to make this complicated. Tell them right away that this is a five-day plan to get a recruiting site on-line and keep reminding them of that.

* Day 2: Organization information.

Identify contact information to be posted on your new recruiting Web site, including names, title, phone numbers, e-mail and mailing addresses.

Roadblock Alert: Keep it to these basics. The Web site development cycle is short. Plan a useful development and implement. Repeat. A basic Web site that is easy to use is always more effective than a complex site or one stuck in the planning stages.

Write simple, short instructions on how to learn about the district's vacancies and how to apply. List general areas or subjects in which you are recruiting. Often this is enough information for a teacher to contact you. Be sure to keep this site up to date.

Roadblock Alert: As you complete this process, great ideas will spring to mind. Jot them down for later consideration, but don't veer from course. Stick to the basics today.

* Days 3 and 4: Create new Web pages.

You will need two days to complete this because it involves new skills, lots of proofreading and plenty of patience.

Start by creating a graphic of your school logo. Your art teachers probably will be glad to assist with this. Students also may know how to help.

Roadblock Alert: Watch out for the "dancing clown syndrome." Complex graphics with moving images distract from your message and often cause technical trouble for teachers trying to use your Web site.

Put your information into Web pages. If you don't know how to do this, surely plenty of your teachers and students do. A secretary can type the pages up in a word processing document and save them as a Web page.

Roadblock Alert: Your technically inclined staff may want to plan an elaborate, advanced Web site. That's great. Jot down their ideas for later consideration and then return to your five-day plan. Stay on course.

If you already have a district Web site, decide on a highly visible link on your home page to your page containing information for teachers seeking positions. Consider labeling the link as "Employment Opportunities for Teachers."

* Day 5: Put your site on line.

This involves transferring your Web pages and your graphic to the Web server. Have a technical person take you, step by step, through this process. Write down the steps. This is called "cook-booking"--a simple recipe for success when followed exactly.

* Deal with the day after.

Once you have your teacher recruitment Web site on the Internet, don't forget to update it regularly. Ask the career planning office at the closest state university to review your Web site and provide advice on what will help teacher candidates to use your site.

Useful Features

District Web sites with the following features would be especially useful:

* Information about your school district, including your guiding philosophy, your student-teacher ratio, photos of classrooms and special programs.

* Information about your city and region, including photos, maps, fun things to do and nearby places to visit.

* Current job openings.

* Access to an on-line application form. This can be something as simple as a text form in Hyper Text Markup Language or a document in PDF that the teacher can print and fill out elsewhere or an electronic form linked to a database system. If you don't know what PDF documents are, ask anybody at your district office who browses the Web.

* Links from career offices. Get your site on the radar screen of career offices by sending out promotional fliers that encourage others to create links to your district's employment pages.

Steve Head is interim director of educational placement and career services the School of Education at University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1000 Bascom Hall, Madison, Wis. 53706. E-mail:[e-mail]. He also is president of the American Association far Employment in Education.

Everything I Need to Know of a Candidate in 15 Minutes

PAUL B. ASH

Our role as a public school superintendent is busier and more complicated than ever. Amidst all the responsibilities we have for curriculum, assessment, professional development, finance, facilities, labor relations and the like, one role I consider dear is hiring the best possible teachers.

As superintendent of a 2,500-student district in eastern Massachusetts, I probably have no more critical role than that of interviewing and hiring those who will be entrusted to run our classrooms. I believe superintendents must be involved in teacher selection, and yet my time, like yours, is limited. So I've developed the 15-Minute Superintendent Interview, or FMSI.

The FMSI is a time-efficient way for superintendents of small- to medium-size school districts to interview all recommended candidates for teaching positions at the end of a thorough teacher selection process. In a mere 15 minutes, an experienced superintendent can rapidly determine whether a candidate demonstrates strong communication skills, high academic expectations, knowledge of pedagogy, love of children, passion to teach, ability to establish objectives and priorities and the belief that all children can learn. Although none of these characteristics can be explored in depth in a quarter-hour, you will find it obvious in most instances if one or more is absent.

Still don't believe you have the time? Let me show you my math.

A superintendent of a medium size school district (say, 3,000 to 6,000 students) typically hires 50 to 100 teachers per year. If each candidate is interviewed for 15 minutes, the superintendent will need to spend 12 to 25 hours per year, which is only 0.5 to 1 percent of a typical superintendent's work year. Remember, the FMSI should only be used at the end of a rigorous screening and interviewing process.

What I Ask

When conducting the FMSI, start by asking general questions that allow candidates to open up to you. One question I usually ask is, "Why do you want to be a teacher?" The question is short and open-ended, but depending on the answer, the interviewer usually can determine the candidate's enthusiasm, interest in children and sense of mission.

Other questions I typically ask include:

* How do you differentiate instruction to teach all children?

* How do you handle discipline problems?

* Assume it's November and I will be visiting your class for 40 minutes. Please select one lesson you would teach, describe how you would conduct the class and the key elements of the lesson.

* What do you believe are the attributes of an effective teacher?

Triple Benefits

Still skeptical about the value of the 15-Minute Superintendent Interview? I have found after 21 years in school personnel that a short interview is sufficient to provide me with a great deal of information regarding candidates who have been recommended by principals.

I see three major benefits from my personal involvement in the hiring decision:

* It prevents hiring decisions when I am confident stronger candidates are available. Inexperienced principals sometimes lack the knowledge or confidence to extend a search, particularly in June and July.

* It enables me to provide specific feedback to principals regarding candidates. Such feedback may include improving the quality of reference checks and clarifying specific areas where the new hire may need support.

* It creates opportunities for me to establish a positive professional relationship with all new teachers. My active involvement in the hiring process demonstrates to principals my commitment to hiring outstanding teachers. Getting to know each new teacher allows me to show I care about each teacher's success.

A Shared Duty

As a superintendent, you know the quality of daily classroom instruction is directly correlated to the quality of the teachers we hire. You know the ability to consistently hire outstanding teachers requires years of experience and is best accomplished by professionals working together. Therefore, why would a superintendent decide to forego his or her years of educational expertise by completely delegating the hiring responsibility to others, often to principals with limited experience?

Some superintendents will tell you they believe in site-based management and that principals should have the authority to hire their own staff. I, too, support site-based management, but not when it means no collaboration between principals and the superintendent. Superintendents and principals need to collaborate for the same reasons we expect the principal and teachers to collaborate.

The quality of our schools depends on hiring outstanding teachers and supporting their success. What superintendent can't devote 0.5 to 1 percent of his or her time to the most important decisions we make--hiring the best teachers available? After all, we have so little to lose and so much to gain.

Paul Ash is superintendent of the Westwood Public Schools, 660 High St., Westwood, Moss.