Are your recruitment efforts keeping pace?

Subscribe to the SchoolCEO Spark newsletter at schoolceo.com/subscribe.

SchoolCEO Magazine fosters a community for K-12 leaders to share their best and most innovative ideas.

Let's be honest—teacher recruitment isn't easy these days, and that's something every school district knows firsthand. All across the country, schools are working hard to fill teaching positions, especially in areas like special education and math. And when nearby districts are also looking to hire, it can feel like an uphill climb.

But here's the good news: You can make teacher recruitment feel more doable by taking it one step at a time. Instead of seeing it as one big challenge, break it down into smaller pieces. When you give each part of the process the attention it deserves, you'll be amazed at how much closer you get to your hiring goals.

"Don't let perfect get in the way of good. Start making what you already have more visible, and then over time, refine that," Tyler Vawser , VP of Marketing at Apptegy shares in our latest recorded webinar on teacher recruitment.

Start with something that might seem simple but really matters—your job descriptions and your careers page. These aren't just documents to check off your list; they're your first chance to connect with potential teachers. The way you describe the role and what you're looking for tells teachers a lot about whether they'd feel at home in your district. This is your moment to shine and catch the eye of great candidates who share your values.

"Think about who's around you. What do you have that they don't have, and then make sure it's front and center on your careers page," Jennifer Hines, CPC , Chief Communications Officer at Tyler ISD in Texas shares in the webinar.

One thing we can learn from companies outside education is the importance of making new employees feel welcome and prepared. Think about those first few weeks when a new teacher joins your team—how can you make that time really count?

When you put care into every step of a teacher's journey with your schools—from that first job posting to their first day in the classroom—something amazing happens. Not only do you become known as a district where teachers feel valued, but your current teachers become your biggest cheerleaders, telling their friends about their great workplace. Suddenly, teacher recruitment isn't just another task to tackle—it becomes an exciting chance to build something special.

One question for you

1. What aspects of your school culture attract new teachers?

Email us at [email protected] or book a time on our calendar and let us know.

Two resources to help

1. Headed to AASA's National Conference on Education in a few weeks? Join Apptegy's Tyler Vawser and Anne Arundel County Public Schools ' Dr. Mark T. Bedell and Bob Mosier for a talk on what parents want from school communication—based on SchoolCEO's new groundbreaking survey of over 1,400 families. We'll be in Room 346 on Friday, March 7th at 2:30pm CST.

2. You may or may not be familiar with “What Teachers Want” our nationally representative Teacher Satisfaction Survey, but did you know we’ve also created a discussion guide to go along with it? This is a great resource to read and discuss with your team!

Forward this email to the team you work with and encourage them to subscribe to SchoolCEO’s newsletter here: schoolceo.com/subscribe-now/

Three ideas to ponder

1. “We have to dig in and ask why. What are the facts? What did you see? What did you hear? Your gut is biased, hire on facts.” — Emily Tetto , vice president of talent and culture at Acceleration Partners on why you shouldn’t make decisions based on gut feelings during the hiring process.

2. “I think the core mistake is to assume that somebody else is just like you were at their age. If you’re a Gen Xer, you might assume that because you wanted to follow a very straight career trajectory—teacher to assistant principal to principal to administrator to superintendent—your younger staff members also want to follow that trajectory. But that’s not always true.” The reverse applies as well. “Younger people assume that older people once wanted what they want now. We really only know our own experiences.” — Lindsey Pollak , New York Times bestselling author, featured in Becoming a Perennial Leader

3. “Imagine you’ve been asked to recreate the very best attributes of your organization on another planet, but you only have seats on the rocket ship for five to seven people. Who would you send? They are the people who are likely to be exemplars of the organization’s core values and purpose, have the highest level of credibility with their peers, and the highest levels of competence.” — Jim Collins explaining the Mission to Mars exercise, a leadership and development tool.