Finding quality job candidates often presents a challenge for education organizations, schools, and school districts. However, searching for hard-to-fill school administration roles escalates that challenge.  You need professionals who not only understand their job requirements but can carry them out in a way that allows students, teachers, and schools to thrive. At every level, people who work in administration are the wheels that make a school and district run smoothly for everyone involved. No school administration role is too small or unimportant, from secretarial duties…

Are you one of the countless organizations that has been hiring recently? If so, you’ve likely noticed how challenging it currently is to hire the right people to join your team - there simply doesn’t seem to be enough people! A wide range of factors has contributed to the current labor shortage.  First, some workers are reluctant to search for jobs because they fear contracting COVID-19. Many women have dropped out of the labor market, likely to care for young children. Finally, manufacturing, construction, and…

  The arrival of COVID-19 has permanently transformed many industries, some of which are still experiencing shifts. COVID-19 has also reshaped the education sector, creating the most extensive disruption of the education system in the United States and worldwide.  Through school closures and changes to the way students receive information, the pandemic has affected almost 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries, a number that represents 94 percent of the world's students and up to 99 percent of students in developing countries. COVID-19 widened…

  Various companies and research institutions have dedicated time and resources to understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the job market. Many who found themselves unemployed in 2020 continue to look for new jobs, often considering positions outside their industry. Additionally, the pandemic forced businesses and organizations in all sectors to increase or transition to remote work. Many of today's job seekers want a role that allows them to work from home for one or two days per week, at the very minimum. This new…

Technology has made remote work increasingly popular over the last few decades. Employees who have been able to work from home avoid commuting, saving time and money. However, remote work has been far less popular in the education sector, even in non-teaching roles. The arrival of COVID-19 forced many sectors to create remote positions and move some or all of their employees home. In education, administrations across the United States had K-12 students learning from home. In some cases, districts created hybrid models where students…

J.Drew Tonissen of the Hunt Institute explains that trust is a vital component of a strong and effective education organization culture. Karen Louis, and Kyla Wahlstrom, both of whom are affiliated with research about educational improvement at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, perfectly summed up this concept in Kappan Magazine: "...neither organizational learning nor the professional community can endure without trust—between teachers and non-teaching administrators, among teachers, and between teachers and parents." On a broader level, research shows how important trust is in organizations of…

Having a strong organizational culture aligned with an education organization's values and mission is critical for success. An organization's culture has a strong influence on success because it impacts decisions made about human resources, budget, and beyond. On an individual level, culture also affects employees' performance, productivity, and personal responses to challenges and workplace obstacles.  While organizational culture and the success of an organization are vital in every sector, it's critical for the education sector. Failure to align an education organization's culture with its goals…

The strategies you need to employ to attract, hire, and keep the best talent include some foundational actions, but they vary from year-to-year based on the economy and world events. In 2021, the job candidate pool is still dealing with the effects of COVID-19, quarantines, and stay-at-home orders. The Washington Post reported that unemployment in the U.S. skyrocketed to 14.7 percent in March 2020, the highest since the Great Depression. According to the Labor Department, more than 20 million people lost jobs within a month,…