Human Resources
Learn more about how districts carry out HR functions, including the hiring, training, and retention of school personnel
See also: Recruitment & Retention
Job Hunting Tips & Advice
Opinion
HR Skills Are In Demand
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently reported that there is a shortage of HR professionals. The news doesn't surprise me as more organizations and industries start to realize the importance of a highly skilled, strategic HR function. Many districts, for example, are hiring HR professionals for the first time. Why? It could be the result of a greater emphasis put on human capital development through Race to the Top, the Teacher Incentive Fund, and other federal and state programs in recent years. Others might argue that changes in teacher evaluation policy in many states have created a demand for qualified human resources professionals in schools. Whatever the reason, it's about time.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Promote Internally or Hire Externally?
Business leaders, school districts, and HR professionals have long debated whether it is better to promote internally or hire externally. Some districts I have worked with will only promote current teachers to fill a vacant principal position, while others regularly look to hire candidates from outside the organization. This can also be a challenge for boards of education in hiring a new superintendent. Do they promote from within or conduct a national search?
School & District Management
Opinion
Shared Accountability Critical to Achieving Bottom Line in Education
Teresa Daulong, Battelle for Kids' Strategic Measures Specialist, contributed to this post. Teresa works daily with large urban school districts across the country to help every employee understand their impact on student success. With 16 years of experience working with organizations to improve performance, she believes that creating systems of shared accountability is the key to success both at home and in schools everywhere.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Human Capital, STEM, & Evaluation Focus of $285M TIF Competition
Today, the U.S. Department of Education released a 277-page report outlining updated priorities, application information, eligibility requirements, and other details for a fourth round of Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grants, which are set to be awarded this fall. The TIF 4 competition provides two grant opportunities. The General TIF Competition, according to a USDOE press release, is designed to support "district-wide evaluation systems that reward success, offer greater professional opportunities, and drive decision-making on recruitment, development, and retention of effective teachers and principals." The TIF Competition with a STEM Focus will provide funding focused on improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction. An information packet for both TIF 4 competitions is available on USDOE's website.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Talent Managers Play Key Role in Common Core Implementation
Melanie Wightman, a School Improvement Specialist at Battelle for Kids, contributed to this post. Melanie works with teachers and principals to understand connections between fostering student growth and implementing the Common Core State Standards. Melanie has been in education since 1975 and believes that while children make up about 23 percent of the U.S. population, they are 100 percent of our future!
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Organizational Structures and Organizational Change
Organizational change is complex. Success depends upon the extent to which the structure of the organization matches its practices, processes, people, measures, and messages. It is also important to understand the driving forces behind the need for change and the shifts that must occur for it to take hold.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
HR Can Help Detect And Prevent Fraud
CORRECTED
CORRECTION: An example cited in this blog post about fraud that was discovered in the Wake County, N.C., school district back in 2004 included factual errors and may have misled readers. The district hired David Neter as its chief business officer in 2006, following the scandal, to incorporate better systems and processes to help safeguard the school system from future occurrences of fraud or other financial irregularities. He continues to be the Wake County district's chief business officer.
CORRECTION: An example cited in this blog post about fraud that was discovered in the Wake County, N.C., school district back in 2004 included factual errors and may have misled readers. The district hired David Neter as its chief business officer in 2006, following the scandal, to incorporate better systems and processes to help safeguard the school system from future occurrences of fraud or other financial irregularities. He continues to be the Wake County district's chief business officer.
School & District Management
Opinion
HR and ROI (Return on Investment)
Return on investment, or ROI, has been a focus of businesses for decades, but rarely talked about in education. It *SHOULD* be in every HR professional or talent manager's lexicon.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Focusing On The Customer Experience - In Hiring
Naima Khandaker, Battelle for Kids Human Capital Specialist, contributed to this post. Naima is a former teacher and current education policy nerd who believes that one day soon, education will be great for all kids.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Mailbag: How Are HR Departments Supporting Educator Evaluations
Since I began writing this blog back in October, I have gotten several interesting questions and comments from readers via social media, email, and through comments on K-12 Talent Manager. On occasion, I plan to use this space to respond to these questions as a learning and engagement opportunity for talent managers and educators across the country.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Monetary Vs. Non-monetary Rewards: Which Are More Attractive?
More and more districts are asking me about non-monetary awards. Why? There's a growing belief that not only would many educators prefer rewards other than cash, but that non-monetary awards are actually "free" or "cheaper" in comparison to bonuses.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
What (REALLY) Motivates People?
It is important for talent managers to examine and discuss the underlying motivational and incentive theories connected to human behavior, management, and leadership. For centuries, psychologists have observed humans to understand why they do the things they do. Human resource professionals often look at sets of motivational theories in hopes of understanding past behavior as well as predicting future behavior.
School & District Management
Opinion
Talent Managers as Change Managers: 6 Lessons Learned
Effective change leadership is essential for any educational-improvement initiative. However, many districts and states struggle with it.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
How Should Employers Use Social Media in Recruiting?
In a previous post, "Staffing, What It Is and Isn't," I discussed the process of finding the right people and bringing them into an organization. An important part of this process is recruitment. (Note that recruitment is different from selection. Recruitment is finding and attracting talent, while selection is just that - picking who you want to hire.)