Executive Viewpoint

Human Capital Management

Dr. Mike Hernandez, AAEA Executive Director

“Recruitment” and “Retention” are words that we hear very often. Act 646 of the 2021 regular session amended our state law to require all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to prepare and post a three (3) year Teacher and Administrator Recruitment and Retention Plan on their website. According to the dictionary, recruitment means the action of finding new people to join an organization or support a cause. Retention means the continued possession, use, or control of something. One thing we are struggling with in Arkansas is recruiting new, well-trained educators into the profession and keeping them. Why is that? Districts need to conceptualize a good plan and ensure that plan is effective in managing this most precious resource, Human Capital. We must also not forget the importance of the HUMAN component as we develop and carry out these plans.

It is time to be honest about our limitations in recruitment and retention of employees, which also should include how we deploy staff in the district. I know I sound clinical with these terms as if we were in a pristine lab setting. It is not my intention to be this way, but we must begin to think and speak in the terminology of the human resource world. School administrators were not trained to be high-functioning HR managers. Most of us had some hint of personnel training in classes like School Finance and Resource Management or maybe even a three-hour credit course in Human Resources Administration in Education. These courses were meant to equip us with the basic knowledge that worked in the old model of hiring school personnel. The old method went something like this: You have a vacancy, post the job, get applications, interview, and finally offer the job to the best candidate. This process worked pretty well when you had numerous applications from fully certified candidates who were trained and vetted by the various colleges of education. Life was much simpler for the people doing the hiring at the local school district.

Our current reality in the race to fill our classrooms and other critical job roles is drastically different from 10-15 years ago. The number of applicants has dwindled. Many classrooms are being served by uncertified teachers who come to the classroom with wonderful hearts for kids but limited backgrounds in teaching and learning. This lack of knowledge can be overcome through training and support, but too many of these employee types in one school can be very difficult to support in a meaningful way. Another issue is the retirement of veteran teachers in numbers that further tax the pipeline. Regardless of training background, numerous novice teachers can also be an issue. So our task is evident: we must equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to move personnel management from transactional practices to strategic-based management of resources. So how do we do this?

First, we need to be voracious consumers of data. In the same approach that we pore over student data, we should collect and analyze data related to our staffing. A district should look at data points such as staff turnover and mobility, unfilled vacancies, absenteeism rates, percentage of first-year teachers, principal experience, effectiveness ratings, and substitute fill rates. You must have this data to answer staffing quantity, quality, equity, and capacity questions. For example, a deeper understanding of data will allow districts to better understand the supply and demand of teachers in particular schools. This understanding can come from analyzing needs by subject and grade level for new teachers and supply from all pathways (graduates of teacher preparation providers and incoming teachers from out-of-state). Once this information is clear, key stakeholders can address challenges with practical solutions.

Second, we must take whatever steps necessary to improve the supply to meet the needs of districts. Our goal is never to just have enough bodies to fill vacant positions. Instead, it should be that we have enough effective teachers in the subjects and locations that need them the most. Leaders before the last decade or so have not spent much time considering sources of applicants unless they are in hard-to-staff areas. Sources of future talent need to be diverse. The sources may be high school programs, college and university programs, career changes, community members, or existing employees. All traditional and alternative pathways should be scoured for potential workers. Districts should also measure the effectiveness of each pathway in providing prepared staff and give feedback to the provider just like one might to a vendor selling you a good or rendering a service. Multiple challenges will impact the future pipeline. From a demand perspective, we have increased attrition of veteran teachers, increased student enrollment with diverse needs, and potential competition for staff due to school choice policies. From a supply perspective, we have fewer students interested in teaching, declining enrollment in educator preparation programs, and increased competition with other higher-paying professions.

Lastly, as administrators, we must remove barriers to effective human capital practices that unnecessarily limit the current quality, quantity, and equity of available staff. Some of this can be done at the state level and some at the district level. I think we are blessed in our state to have a group of people at the state level that has promoted and passed policies that have attempted to remove barriers that affect the teacher pipeline. Strides have been made in several areas such as approving multiple pathways to provide teachers, working with colleges and universities to increase supply, expand diversity, and allow feedback to these providers. Some other areas of removing barriers are increasing reciprocity options from other states, allowing Arkansas districts to differentiate compensation through ESA funds, and providing incentives for high-needs schools. The latest program to be excited about is the Arkansas Teacher Residency Model, which will help with the supply aspect of staffing. Arkansas leaders have to become well versed in all their options to procure and deploy staff without fear or holding on to vestiges of past practices. Times are changing, the job is changing, the demands are growing, and we must be ready to provide what is needed for students.

The Arkansas Association of School Personnel Administrators (ArkASPA) has been working for many years to bring relevant training and support to districts in Human Capital Management. As stated before, school people were not trained for the demands of the current job that require you to find and keep great people. Recruitment and Retention planning is one of the most important things you will do for your district's immediate and future needs. ArkASPA has worked with ADE and the Urban School Human Capital Academy (USHCA) to develop a certification program for a Human Capital Leader. The program will start on September 27, 2022, as part of the HR Bootcamp. You can register for the conference here. I would encourage you to grow your knowledge in this area of school business as much as possible. Think outside the box, study the data, and make a strategic plan. Your current and future student success depends on it.