Shift 5
Deliver exceptional employment experiences.
Stories have the power to evoke strong emotions and inspire action, but it’s challenging to change the image of the education profession when many of the detractors come from within the profession itself. You can’t buy the public relations equivalent of a vocal employee who enthusiastically endorses your organization as an employer.
Educators who are dissatisfied with their profession are likely to discourage others from pursuing careers in education, and promotional campaigns will fail to build a sustainable pipeline if there is a disconnect between candidate expectations and the realities of working in education.
Work first has to be done to change the narrative from within by delivering exceptional employment experiences so that educators become promoters of the profession.
High-Level Recommendations
Customer Service
Treat employees like customers in the workplace.
Work-Life Integration
Promote work-life balance through flexibility and support for all employees.
Data-driven Improvements
Look across the entire candidate and employee journey to uncover and address causes of attrition.
Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
Develop and deliver on your employee value proposition. Monitor and address gaps between expectations and experiences.
Internal Ambassadors for the Profession
Equip employees to be promoters of careers in education.
Statistic
When students were asked to rank the top three reasons they were interested in teaching, 42% said they were inspired by one or more of their own teachers.
Promising Practices
The following examples are shared strategies and practices that are working to address the educator shortage. Partnerships between PK-12, higher education and Departments of Education and Labor were encouraged. To read summaries of all Promising Practices, please click the button below.
Sample Stakeholder Actions
Work-Life Integration
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Fund research into factors impacting retention, turnover, and burnout.
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Support districts and other organizations by investing in offerings that support educators’ overall wellbeing.
Data-driven Improvements
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Publicize research-based practices that improve retention and reduce burnout.
Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
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Evaluate opportunities to streamline or curtail bureaucratic documentation and recordkeeping requirements.
Internal Ambassadors for the Profession
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Identify high performers and give them a platform to be ambassadors for the education profession.
- Highlighted Promising Practice -
Develop Ambassadors for the Profession
Prior to the 2018-19 school year, Berkeley County Schools launched BCS 101, an ambassador program designed to provide participants with a better understanding of district operations, programs, and services. Over six monthly meetings, the program prepared participants to serve as ambassadors for Berkeley County Schools.