Recruiting for HighNeed Areas: Strategies and Results

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Recruiting for High-Need AreasStrategies and
Results

• Education Trust-West Biennial Conference
• April 2006

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Agenda

• Introduction to The New Teacher Project
• Strategies for Recruiting Candidates for
  High-Need Areas
• QA

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About The New Teacher Project

• The New Teacher Project (TNTP) is a national
  non-profit organization, founded in 1997.
• Our clients are school districts, state
  departments of education, colleges and
  universities, and other educational entities.
• TNTP partners with its clients to
• Increase the number of outstanding individuals
  who become public school teachers and
• Create environments for all educators that
  maximize their impact on student achievement.
• Since 1997, TNTP has attracted and prepared over
  15,000 new, high-quality teachers and launched
  more than 40 programs in 22 states.
• Among others, TNTPs clients include cities such
  as Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Memphis, New
  York and Washington, DC and states such as
  Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana and Virginia.

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TNTP delivers its services through three primary
lines of business.

• Cohort Programs
• Expertise in the recruitment, selection,
  cultivation, preparation and certification of
  alternate route and traditionally certified
  teachers
• Specializing in shortage area candidates and
  staffing high-need schools
• Examples of projects
• NYC Teaching Fellows (alternate route)
• Teach in Virginia (multi-district)
• Philadelphia Teaching Fellows (mid-year cohort)
• Orleans Parish Teaching Fellows (traditionally
  certified)

• Strategic Partnerships
• Expertise in improving HR processes, building
  school level hiring capacity and reforming hiring
  policies
• Specializing in recruitment strategies, selection
  models, early and efficient hiring and placement
  processes, improving customer service, data
  analysis, and technology solutions
• Examples of projects
• Urban Teacher Hiring Initiative (Memphis)
• DC Strategic Consulting
• Baltimore Model School Staffing
• Broad Foundation Review (NYCDOE)

• Training Certification
• Expertise in preparation and certification of
  teachers for states and districts
• Partners with colleges/ universities to revamp
  preparation programs increase participation in
  alternate route programs
• Examples of projects
• Mercy College
• Atlanta Teaching for Results - Washington Mutual
  Content Pedagogy Seminars
• Practitioner Teacher Program (Louisiana)
• Texas Education Agency-Texas Teaching Fellows

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Cohort Program Services

• TNTPs cohort programs effectively recruit and
  induct new teachers for hard-to-staff schools.
  Our continuum of services include

• Create an aggressive campaign
• Target outstanding mid- career professionals
• Seek candidates who are inspired to teach in high
  need areas

• 4-6 week program
• Participants internalize our strategies for
  effective teaching
• Participants teach in summer school, observe and
  engage in intensive professional development
  sessions

• Use rigorous selection process to identify
  individuals with strong content knowledge and a
  record of exceptional achievement
• Train principals school staff in selection model

• Prioritize provide high touch customer service
  to most desirable candidates
• Establish web-based candidate referral system
  that allows applicants to be considered by
  multiple schools to register for
  events/interviews online
• Allow principals to view applicants schedule
  interviews online

• Prepare candidates for state certification

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2005 Cohort Program Results Summary
3,219 New Teacher Hires / Referrals Nationwide
Our alternate route teachers comprise a
significant part of each districts total new
hires
TNTP programs received more than 23,000
applications and hired or referred approximately
3,200 new teachers in 2005.
Nearly 26 of all 2005 new hires in New York were
Teaching Fellows
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2,172 New Teachers Eligible for High-Need Areas
Of those 3,219 new teachers, 2,172 (67) were
eligible to teach high-need subject areas such as
math, science and special education
20 of all 2005 new hires in DC were Teaching
Fellows
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34 of all 2005 new hires in Baltimore were
Teaching Fellows
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• Teachers recruited through our alternate route
  programs are diverse and academically successful
• 39 of all 2005 Fellows are people of color
• Average GPA of 2005 Fellows is above 3.3

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Our programs show high retention and principal
satisfaction rates.
The retention rate for TNTP alternate route hires
surpasses the estimated national average for
beginning teachers in urban areas.
Principals express high levels of satisfaction
with teachers recruited through TNTP alternate
route programs.
Percent of New Teachers Starting a Second Year
92 of principals say they would hire Teaching
Fellows again. 93 of principals agree that they
were satisfied with the Teaching Fellows in their
schools.
92
93
Source National Commission on Teaching and
Americas Future (2003). No Dream Denied A
Pledge to Americas Children.
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Agenda

• Introduction to The New Teacher Project
• Strategies for Recruiting Candidates for
  High-Need Areas
• QA

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What works in recruiting high-needs candidates

• Knowing who you are looking for
• Using clear, specific and honest recruitment
  messages
• Advertising broadly but wisely
• Reaching potential candidates multiple times
• Asking for referrals from current teachers
• Using technology to communicate with and empower
  candidates
• Utilizing data driven decision making to set
  goals, monitor progress and optimize results
• Cultivating priority applicants
• Converting non-high need applicants into high
  need applicants

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In order to generate the desired applicant pool,
clear recruitment messages must be targeted
towards specific types of candidates.
What information might compel the following
individuals?
Its critical to know who you are looking for and
think critically about what attracts individuals
to high-need subjects before implementing a
recruitment campaign that is focused on any one
audience.
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Determining the most effective messages for these
target audiences is key to a successful campaign.
ExampleNine out of ten urban school districts
report a shortage of special education teachers.
Special shouldnt mean shortchanged.
Example X of 4th grade students fail to
achieve even the basic level in math, X of 8th
graders, and X of 11th graders fail to achieve
even the basic level of math.
Example More than X of our districts public
school students are African-American and X are
Latino/a/Hispanic yet only X of teachers are.
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Based on our research, TNTP has found some common
messages that appeal to each of these high-need
candidate groups.

• Often have personal experience with friends or
  family members with special needs
• Rely more on word-of-mouth and personal
  interactions/referrals

Special Education

• Use the internet more than any other group.
• Want the opportunity to share their subject
  knowledge with students
• Want to be aggressively recruited

Math and Science

• Want to give back to a community that may reflect
  one that they grew up in
• Are driven by the opportunity to address
  inequalities in education and to work with
  children
• Utilize existing district websites and referrals,
  especially from district staff

People of Color

• Are driven by the chance to make a bigger
  difference in a higher need school
• Excellent customer service and opportunities to
  interact with current teachers are both large
  factors in their decision to join a district

Trad. Certified
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Clear, compelling messages are effective at
attracting candidates.
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Clear, compelling messages are effective at
attracting candidates.
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Messages can be targeted toward highly desirable
groups.
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Utilize current teachers networks to find other
high-need candidates.

• Current teachers have existing networks of
  like-minded friends and family members many are
  likely to know people who would make strong
  potential candidates.
• Current teachers knowledge of the schools also
  makes them well-suited to help recruit and
  cultivate candidates.
• A large percentage of Fellows report having been
  inspired to apply by a family member in education.

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Web-based tools empower applicants and facilitate
clear, effective communication.
The programs website functions as the hub for
all communications to applicants. Candidates
visit the website to apply online, obtain
information, use a variety of online tools, and
complete requested forms. Key messages are
reinforced throughout.
Online application

• Applicant tools
• Status viewer
• Info session scheduler
• Interview day scheduler
• Forms and resources

Clear program information
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Track data on recruitment sources to ensure
cost-effectiveness.
Sample Tracking Sources of High-Need Applicants
Sample Figures Only
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Cultivation is a crucial component of recruiting
high-need candidates.

• What is cultivation?
• High-quality, meaningful, and targeted contact
  with teacher candidates
• Helps ensure that candidates complete the
  application process despite other competing
  districts or any difficulties
• Who do you target?
• Prospective candidates who have requested more
  information
• Candidates in the application process
• Candidates who have been accepted but who have
  not yet committed
• Any prospective teacher for critical shortage
  subject areas.

• We have found that most urban districts do not
  have problems attracting applicants, their
  problems are with keeping applicants.
• Experience shows that strategic, prioritized
  cultivation of interested contacts helps to
  increase the number of them who remain in the
  process and begin teaching.
• Our research has shown that it is often the
  highest-quality candidates who respond to
  continual, active encouragement to remain in the
  process without a firm commitment or placement
  offer

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Conversion efforts encourage non-high-needs
candidates to consider teaching high-need
subjects.

• Our programs make special efforts to encourage
  applicants who might not initially have
  considered a subject like special education to
  try it. This process involves
• Crafting messages on the website
• Creating and consistently reinforcing messages
  that highlight the demand for teachers in the
  high-need area
• Communicating these messages to candidates
  through multiple channels
• Coordinating special events to further inform
  candidates and persuade them to consider teaching
  a high-need subject
• Giving candidates multiple opportunities to elect
  to teach a high-need subject

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In NYC, TNTP also operates a specialized Math
Immersion program to increase the supply of math
teachers for the city.
The New Teacher Projects Math Immersion Program

• Through TNTPs New York City Teaching Fellows
  program, we initiated a Math Immersion Program in
  an effort to increase the number of math teachers
  entering the New York City Public School System
  through their program.
• TNTP conducts a transcript and resume review
  looking for math content with a grade of B- or
  better or past work history using math and
  queries potential candidates as to their interest
  in teaching math.
• Candidates accepted to the Math Immersion Program
  must have taken and passed an under-graduate
  level calculus course.
• Math Immersion candidates take a two week
  intensive math refresher, plus seven additional
  weeks of pre-service training that focuses on
  content and pedagogy.
• At the end of two week math refresher, candidates
  are reviewed and have an opportunity to be
  switched to another content area if they are not
  ready.
• All candidates must pass the required math
  content exam required by New York State before
  entering the classroom.

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Math Immersion Results

• The Math Immersion Program has allowed the New
  York City Teaching Fellows to increase the number
  of math teachers placed through the program by
  500
• In September 2004, The New York City Teaching
  Fellows placed 309 math teachers in New York City
  Public Schools. Only 56 of those math teachers
  placed were math majors.
• To date, our research has shown no significant
  difference in performance, principal
  satisfaction, or retention between those teachers
  placed in math positions through the immersion
  program and math majors.

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Math Immersion Results
Average Math Content Test Score by Major Passing
Score is 220
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Agenda

• Introduction to The New Teacher Project
• Strategies for Recruiting Candidates for
  High-Need Areas
• QA

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Question and Answer