Missed Opportunities: How We Keep HighQuality Teachers Out of Urban Classrooms

1
Missed OpportunitiesHow We Keep High-Quality
Teachers Out of Urban Classrooms

• September 25, 2003

2
Contents

• Overview
• What the Data Show
• The Causes of Late Hiring Timelines
• Recommendations

3
Key Findings from TNTP Data

• Urban districts can generate a large enough
  applicant pool to selectively fill vacancies and
  many of these applicants are serious about
  teaching in high-needs districts
• However, district hiring timelines cause massive
  applicant attrition
• Due to these delays, districts lose the stronger
  candidates and are left hiring weaker candidates
• HR inefficiencies contribute to the delays, but
  are not the driving cause. Reforms must address
  the three policy barriers to late hiring
  timelines
• Vacancy notification requirements
• Teachers Union transfer requirements
• Late budget timetables and inadequate forecasting

4
Research Methodology and Sources

• These data come from four representative urban
  districts, which agreed to participate on the
  condition of anonymity
• The districts are located in the Southwest,
  Midwest, and Eastern regions
• They average just fewer than 73,0000 students
  each, and the largest district has more than
  150,000 students
• Between two-thirds and three-quarters of students
  qualify for free or reduced-price lunch
• 62 to 85 of the students in these districts are
  non-white
• The data were collected through
• Applicant tracking databases used during the
  hiring season
• Telephone surveys of applicants who withdrew or
  whose status was unknown exit interviews with
  withdrawers
• Focus groups held with applicants and new
  teachers
• Interviews with principals and HR staff
  (including from surrounding districts)
• With the exception of the Southwestern District,
  the data refer to the districts entire applicant
  pools
• The data shown for the Southwestern District
  refer only to a special cohort of certified
  teachers for placements in the districts
  hardest-to-staff schools

5
Contents

• Overview
• What the Data Show
• The Causes of Late Hiring Timelines
• Recommendations

6
With aggressive recruitment, teachers apply to
urban districts in large numbers.
2002 Teacher Applicants vs. Vacancies
4500
4000
Number of Applicants in 2002
Applicants
Vacancies (Hires)
Note Shortage areas are math, science, special
education, bilingual education, and English as a
Second Language. Source Applicant tracking
databases (2002).
7
However, urban districts hire late.
Eastern District Hiring Timeline
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Aug. 12 First new teacher hired Aug. 20 New
Teacher Orientation
Sept. 9 School opens with vacancies after 177
teachers hired
End of May Over 600 prescreened candidates ready
for principal interview and placement
Source Applicant tracking database (2002), TNTP
on-site staff.
8
Fed up with waiting, applicants withdraw after
months in limbo.
Withdrawal Rate of Pre-screened
CandidatesEastern and Midwestern 1 Districts
Percent of Withdrawers for whom Late Timelines
Were a Factor in Their Decision to Leave
Withdrew by the end of Aug.
Hired or another status
Note The withdrawal data for the Eastern
District and Midwestern District 1 are the
attrition rates of the pre-screened applicants
those the districts had already interviewed,
decided were the best candidates, and chosen for
principal interviewing. Source Telephone,
written, and e-mail surveys, Applicant tracking
databases (2002).
9
The candidates that the Districts lose are
serious candidates.
of withdrawers said they would have accepted a
job offer from the urban district if it had come
earlier
Nearly 50

• said they still wanted to be considered for a
  position in the urban district

4 out of 5
10
These candidates are the stronger and more
sought-after candidates.
Percent of Withdrawers Who Had Applied to Teach
in a Critical Shortage Area
Quality Comparison of New Hires and Withdrawers
in the Eastern District
Percent with significant education coursework
Percent with degrees in their field
New hires
Withdrawers
Note Southwestern District withdrawers were from
a program to hire high-needs teachers for
hard-to-staff schools. The differences in
education coursework and degrees in field are
statistically significant (plt.01). Source
Applicant tracking databases (2002), TNTP file
analysis in Eastern District (May 2003).
11
Contents

• Overview
• What the Data Show
• The Causes of Late Hiring Timelines
• Recommendations

12
HR inefficiencies contribute to delays, but they
are not the sole cause.

• Many people blame HR departments for hiring
  delays
• In our work with HR departments across the
  country, we have seen that many HR inefficiencies
  do contribute to hiring delays. Some of the most
  common problems are
• A lack of clear hiring goals and accountability
• Insufficient systems to track applicants and
  vacancies
• Poor customer service and insufficient
  communication
• Less than optimal HR staffing

However,

• Surrounding these administrative dysfunctions is
  a web of policy barriers that would prevent even
  the best HR departments from hiring earlier and
  more effectively

13
Three policy barriers directly impede timely
hiring.
Three Policy Barriers

• Vacancy Notification Requirements
• Departing teachers do not have to notify until
  the summer or beginning of school
• Requirements are typically governed by teachers
  union contracts, city code, or state law
• Teachers Union Transfer Requirements
• Current teachers have right to openings before
  outside candidates can be hired
• Transfers drag on into the summer
• Principals hide vacancies to ensure they are not
  forced to take a transferring teacher against
  their will
• Budget Timelines and Enrollment Uncertainties
• Districts receive their state budgets late
• Enrollment fluctuations compound budget
  uncertainty
• Counterproductive district responses delaying
  the release of school-level budgets and staffing
  plans or implementing an across-the-board hiring
  freeze

14
Contents

• Overview
• What the Data Show
• The Causes of Late Hiring Timelines
• Recommendations

15
Guiding principles for reform

• Hire by May 1 to be competitive
• Provide school-level placements, not just open
  contracts

16
Recommendation 1 Vacancy Notifications
Require retiring or resigning teachers to notify
districts by March 15 and remove disincentives
for early notification

• Require earlier notification Collective
  bargaining contracts and, where necessary, state
  law must be changed to mandate earlier
  notification.
• Remove notification penalties Teachers must not
  be threatened with the loss of health benefits or
  summer teaching opportunities if they give early
  notice.

17
Recommendation 2 Teachers Union Transfer
Requirements
Move up and expedite transfer processes, and work
toward enabling principals and their schools to
consider internal and external candidates equally

• In the short-term, develop an earlier, shorter
  transfer process Transfer processes must end by
  April 1 to enable a May 1 hiring timeline.
  School reconstitutions that will lead to
  transfers must occur on the same timeline.
• In the longer-term, enable schools to consider
  all candidates equally Schools must be able to
  consider internal and external candidates at the
  same time so that they can get the best person
  for the job, hire external candidates earlier,
  and be less likely to hide vacancies from HR.

18
Recommendation 3 Budget Timetable and
Forecasting
Promote earlier and more predictable budgets and
insulate the hardest-to-staff schools from budget
fluctuations

• Develop and pass budgets earlier Where possible,
  move up the timetable in which state and local
  budgets are completed.
• Become better budget and enrollment forecasters
  Work with state and city budget officials to
  better forecast upcoming budgets, so that hiring
  can begin earlier.
• Even in the face of uncertainty, begin hiring the
  high-quality candidates in greatest demand.
• Protect against overhiring Shield hard-to-staff
  schools from overhiring fears by creating a
  monetary protection fund or a small teacher
  reserve pool.

19
Recommendation 4 HR Practices
Revamp HR practices to increase the hiring role
of principals and to create efficient and
effective applicant systems

• Give schools an earlier and greater role in
  hiring Union reforms will allow central HR to
  devolve some hiring to schools, creating multiple
  avenues of entry.
• Establish effective and efficient HR systems and
  processes
• Create clear hiring goals and accountability
• Engage in strategic recruitment
• Develop an effective, efficient hiring process
  flow
• Prioritize applicant tracking and data collection
• Create an optimal staffing structure