Recruiting teachers from the ranks of the unemployed. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).

The recession has hit many industries, including technology. Even though economic indicators point to an upcoming recovery, there are still many displaced professionals. It hasn't escaped the notice of several district human resource directors that these people have college degrees, knowledge of technology, math and other subjects, and may be curious about teaching.

Several districts have successfully reached out to potential "focused career changers," as Ariela Rozman, an executive with the New York City-based New Teacher Project, calls them. Districts hire this non-profit organization to find nontraditional teachers.

Efforts in San Jose are targeting laid-off technology professionals. "Math and science teachers are in high demand, and this is a rich resource for us," explains Kara Backus, site manager for the New Teacher Project in San Jose. Since the district already recruits certified teachers and education school graduates, she reaches out to those who might not know they can become teachers. She does so by pitching public relations stories to the San Jose Mercury News and other local media, running advertising campaigns--one was a billboard message shown at movie theaters--and by partnering with local unemployment firms.

Grassroots outreach is probably the most important part of the campaign, she adds. She's placed teaching information in almost every school newsletter that reaches parents.

Response to this year's campaign beats last year's, she says. Applications, which were due by the end of March, totaled 500. Last year, the project received 200 applications. Backus will hire 150 new teachers out of these applicants.

A similar outreach program is working on the other side of the country. Human resource staffers for the Nashua, N.H. school district are also appealing to those displaced in the technology sector. "We thought there may be people out there with bachelor's degrees who were curious about teaching even though they had jumped into corporate America before giving teaching a chance," says Chris Hagan, the human resources director. She credits the district's latest job fair brainstorm to Gale Tobbe, an executive in her office, who suggested the district target the unemployed professionals who were once in Boston's technology industry.

They expected 100 attendees for their first job fair targeted for non-traditional teaching candidates. Instead, 400 people came to the mid-January event. About 125 sat through the first session. Additional fairs were added for those turned away.

In-service teachers spoke at each event, telling about the certification process. Costs for the job fairs were negligible. The HR staffers and teachers donated their time; the site was used free. Everyone was asked for an e-mail address so that HR workers could stay in touch.

Backus is aware of the downside of reaching out to those who once worked in high-paying industries. "Money is a big concern," Backus says. People in the technology sector easily earn between $40,000 to $50,000. Those with a lot of experience had incomes in the six figures. Entry-level teaching jobs in San Jose pay $36,000.

The other concern is the time commitment. New teachers will have to become certified and that means taking classes in the evenings and, often, paying for tuition out of pocket.

She advises upfront frankness. Only then can a district really know where a potential teaching candidate is coming from, she says. The goal is to recruit strong candidates who have always been high achievers; those for whom additional studies are viewed as a welcome challenge, not a painful obligation.

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