We’ll have at least 50% turnover of our core teaching staff when this school year ends. This is the battle that the entire educational field is fighting right now. Studies have shown that turnover impacts student achievement as the new teacher finds their footing and begins to navigate the culture and expectations. Knowing that turnover will happen the following three steps are what I took to mitigate the damage.
The search
Finding the right fit that complements your team is the first step. Make sure that you take inventory of your current staff and find a person that not only fits culturally but also complements the personality of the rest of the team. This does not mean that the new employee should be like the others. Ideally she should bring something new to the table. When researching a potential candidate I not only went over their resume but checked websites, social media and other aspects of their online presence. In this way I was able to see if they were consistent across platforms.
The interview
Once we found a potential candidate we brought the person in for the interview. Prior to that we had our set of questions which was reviewed by multiple staff members. That way redundancies were removed and the most relevant questions remained. Not only were traditional questions present but a unique visual portion was added as well. When it was time for the interview I made sure there was a representative from each part of our school staff so people with multiple viewpoints could give their input. Students were also included. Once the interview ended we discussed our impressions.
The follow up
When we identified a candidate who seemed like the right fit it was time for next steps. We had the person come in and give a lesson to a random group of students. A lesson plan was submitted and gone over and then presented. After the lesson a staff member with the highest proficiency in that subject, the candidate and myself debriefed the lesson. The staff member asked probing questions about sequencing and choices. The candidate was able to explain his choices and his reasoning and we were able to get a better idea of his thinking.
These three steps; the search, the interview with unique questions, and the follow up helped us find a teacher who should be a good fit for our school. What are some other methods you use to find the right employee fit? Share your process in the comment section below.
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For more short articles and tips that support educational leaders check out my blog at the http://www.theprincipalentrepreneur.com/ and/or pre order my newest book How To Be A Great Principal: 36 Shared Leadership Success Strategies. If you’re an auditory learner you can download my podcast The Principal Entrepreneur, new episodes weekly. To join the podcast as a guest email me at jonathanroyce@theprincipalentrepreneur.com. Finally, I’m part of a community of supportive principals please join our private FB group.
