Staffing Solutions: Hiring and Retaining Top Talent
Candidates are seeking workplaces where they can intertwine their beliefs with those of the company, and work together on a common vision of purpose and success.
– Natalie Baumgartner
INTRO
Finding and retaining top educators is crucial to building a thriving learning environment, but hiring in education comes with unique challenges. Developing and nurturing a staff aligned with your school’s identity and vision is key. Hear from these leaders and explore effective staffing solutions to help attract, hire, and retain exceptional educators for long-term success.
OBJECTIVES
- Analyze your current staff recruitment, onboarding, and retention practices
- Develop a strategy to attract and retain top talent that aligns with and reflects your school community’s needs and values.
RESOURCES
ARTICLE: Build a Culture That Aligns with People’s Values
VIDEO: Finding Solutions to Washington’s Teacher Shortage: The Pasco Story (~7 min)
CROWDSOURCE VIDEO CLIP: School Identity & Staff Hiring/ Retention (~4 min)
GOOGLE TEMPLATE: Staff Recruitment Analysis (Opens a tab with an option to make a copy of the Google doc to your Google Drive)
Recruiting Staff Aligned to School Identity & Values
The success of any school depends largely on the quality of its staff. As a principal, your ability to attract, hire, and retain dedicated educators is crucial for fostering a positive learning environment.
The educators in your building do more than just instruct; they shape the culture, values, and future of your school community. Beyond credentials and experience, the most successful hires are those who align with your school’s shared values.
Define and Communicate Your School’s Core Values
Before hiring, take time to clearly articulate your school’s values. These values should be reflected in your mission statement, day-to-day operations, and overall school culture. Whether your focus is on equity, innovation, collaboration, or student-centered learning, having a well-defined set of principles will help you attract teachers who share your vision.
Craft Job Postings That Reflect Your Culture
Your job descriptions should do more than list responsibilities and requirements. They should serve as a window into your school’s culture. Use language that conveys your values and expectations, giving potential candidates insight into the kind of environment they’d be joining.
Example:
Instead of: Seeking a middle school science teacher with a state teaching license and three years of experience.
Try: Our school is seeking a passionate, student-centered middle school science teacher who believes in fostering curiosity, collaboration, and equity in STEM education. If you are dedicated to inspiring students and building a strong learning community, we encourage you to apply.
Incorporate Values-Based Interview Questions
Standard interview questions assess a candidate’s skills and experience, but values-based questions reveal whether a candidate’s mindset and philosophy align with your school’s mission.
Examples:
- Can you share a time when you adapted your teaching to support diverse learners?
- How do you incorporate student voice and choice in your classroom?
- Describe a situation where you collaborated with colleagues to enhance student learning.
- What does educational equity mean to you, and how do you practice it in your teaching?
These questions help identify educators who will thrive within your school’s culture and contribute positively to your community.
Observe Teaching and Interactions
If possible, include a demonstration lesson or classroom observation as part of the hiring process. This allows you to see how candidates interact with students, structure lessons, and demonstrate their teaching philosophy in action. Afterward, engage in a reflective conversation with the candidate about their teaching choices and how they align with your school’s values.
Seek Input from Multiple Stakeholders
Hiring should not be a solo effort. Engage teachers, staff, and even students in the process. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights into how well a candidate might integrate into the school community.
Examples:
- Form a hiring committee with representatives from different departments.
- Allow candidates to meet with a panel of students.
- Gather feedback from staff members who interact with the candidate during the interview process.
Hiring teachers who align with your school’s shared values is not just about finding good educators—it’s about building a cohesive, mission-driven community where students thrive. By defining your values, crafting intentional job postings, using strategic interview questions, observing teaching in action, and prioritizing ongoing development, you can ensure that your hiring decisions strengthen and sustain your school culture for years to come.
Retain Staff by Making Your School Somewhere They Want to Stay
Read this article from the Harvard Business Review about building a culture that aligns to people’s values.
Build a Culture of Empowerment in Your School
Listen to Staff Feedback
Conduct regular surveys and hold open forums to understand staff concerns. Acting on their feedback demonstrates that their voices matter and fosters a positive school climate.
Prioritize Work-Life Balance
Teacher burnout is a major cause of turnover. Support a manageable workload, advocate for reasonable class sizes, and encourage self-care and wellness programs.
Recognize and Reward Excellence
Appreciation goes a long way. Implement teacher recognition programs, celebrate achievements, and provide incentives such as performance-based bonuses or additional planning time.
Connect roles to shared purpose
Schools must develop a culture that reinforces the important role each employee plays within their organization.
Onboarding and Mentorship
A strong onboarding program helps new hires integrate into your school’s culture and expectations. Pairing them with experienced mentors can ease their transition and improve retention rates.
Professional Development Opportunities
Investing in your staff’s growth is essential. Provide ongoing training, encourage attendance at educational conferences, and offer leadership opportunities. When teachers feel supported in their professional journey, they are more likely to stay.
Foster a Collaborative Culture
Encourage teamwork and open communication among staff. Create spaces for teachers to share ideas, co-plan lessons, and support each other in their professional growth.
Reflection Prompts
Do your staff feel secure, supported, and empowered? Are they looking for work elsewhere?
Go beyond rumors—ask directly. Anonymous surveys can be useful tools, but only if they’re followed by swift, direct, relevant, and meaningful action.
Take notice of differences in responses.
- Who of your staff are happy at your site?
- Who are those thinking of leaving?
- Do demographics play a role?
- If so, why and what can be done?
TIP FOR IMPROVEMENT: Including employees in the culture-building process; encouraging and utilizing employee feedback and input; and frequent, meaningful, real-time recognition can all help create a workplace culture employees want to be a part of.
Analyze Your Staff Recruitment, Hiring, Onboarding, and Retention Strategies
Hiring and retaining great educators requires a proactive approach. By refining your hiring practices, creating a supportive work culture, and valuing your staff, you can build a strong, committed team that enhances student success. Investing in your teachers today ensures a brighter future for your school community.
Use the reflection tool shown below to more deeply analyze your current recruitment and retention efforts.
You will be prompted to create your own copy of the Google Doc reflection tool.
What are three takeaways you can use during your next hiring cycle, or to retain your current staff?
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This work by Inflexion is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
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