Human Resources
Learn more about how districts carry out HR functions, including the hiring, training, and retention of school personnel
See also: Recruitment & Retention
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.)
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Workplace Violence - Do You Have A Plan?
February 17, 2012. 5:30PM.
Long Beach, California.
Long Beach, California.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Using Social Media in Candidate Selection
There are many differing views on using social networking platforms in staffing. In my last blog I explored the different parts of the staffing process, from sourcing and recruitment to selection and hiring. Specifically, in this blog we will look at how social media is used (or not used) in selection. As a refresher, selection involves using multiple measures to pick high-quality candidates. These measures could include structured interviews, writing samples, essay questions, résumé review, previous performance, case studies, portfolio grading, knowledge testing, or screening tools like PrincipalInsight, HUMANeX Ventures, and Haberman Star Administrator. While many confuse selection and recruitment, they are actually different activities.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Staffing: What It Is and Isn't!
The words recruiting, sourcing, selection, hiring, screening, posting, and staffing are often used interchangeably, but they all have different meanings and represent different parts of the larger staffing process. Even I say staffing at times when I really mean hiring. So what do these terms mean, how are they different, and where do they belong in the process? Here is a breakdown.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Flipped Classroom: Flipped Talent Management Practices
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
What Makes a Great Talent Manager?
Last week, Ron Ashkenas wrote a piece on Harvard Business Review called, "Stop Bashing HR," in which he discusses why HR is important and how it can add value to an organization. He begins this article with several quotes from HBR readers who expressed a less than favorable view of HR in response to another blog from Brian Hults of Rubbermaid, "Why HR Really Does Add Value." Here is a sample:
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Talent Manager Suggested Reading
I spend a great deal of time reading, researching, and exploring new ways to integrate HR practices in schools. I have found that while there are numerous books written by human resource and talent management professionals, there are very few that focus specifically on HR in education. One of these books is "Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education: Improving Instructional Practice and Student Learning in Schools" by Dr. Allan Odden. I would encourage any K-12 talent manager to check it out.
Professional Development
Opinion
December 2011 - A Busy Month on Teacher Prep
While I've said this in previous posts, anyone at any level can be a manager of talent. We know that superintendents, HR directors, principals, and mentors are all talent managers in education. But, so are professional association representatives, education reform groups, public officials, and education leadership organizations. December 2011 has been a busy month in the national conversation about educator effectiveness, and talent managers at all levels have been involved in the discussion.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Finding A Balance: Work vs. Life
I'll never forget when I was a young child my father taking phone call after phone call to assist his customers during our family vacations. I also remember as a teenager my mother answering our home phone at 4 a.m. some mornings to help resolve disputes between her employees. At the time, I wondered why my dad didn't just let those calls go to voicemail, or why the ADULTS at my mom's office couldn't just "get along."
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
8 Tips to Ensure Great Onboarding
Here's a short and simple question: Does your school district have a program to onboard new employees? I frequently ask this question to groups of educators, and more often than not, I get a puzzled look in return. Then, our conversation generally goes as follows:
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
What Education Can Learn from the Failures of Business
I'm not one of those people who think all school district functions should be run like a business. (So don't shoot me yet!) The superintendent of a 10,000-student district and the CEO of a Fortune 500 company face very different challenges that can't all be addressed with the same strategies or tools. However, I do believe there are some important lessons and practices around management, customer service, and efficiency from the business world that can be successfully replicated in education.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
When Brand Management Meets Talent Management
Last week, I had a very interesting conversation with a friend who is in the process of looking for a new job. She shared that she is not only interested in working for an organization with a good reputation but one that is part of a strong community. While she has had success in finding job openings in several states that offer competitive pay, benefits, and opportunities for growth, she has run into trouble trying to find information about the specific characteristics of each community.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Is HR Leading Change in Education?
Brad Power, a researcher at the Lean Enterprise Institute, recently wrote a blog entry on the Harvard Business Review website asking, "Why Doesn't HR Lead Change?" He explains that it is difficult to find HR people "who are active in helping their organization improve the way it works."