TEACH California | Teacher Recruitment Checklist

Teacher Recruitment Checklist

The Teacher Recruitment Checklist is designed to help you develop or improve your teacher recruitment program.

Make sure to look through the Organization Database to find potential partners.

Goals

Setting goals
	What are your goals?
	How will you decide your goals?
	Who will be included in setting these goals?
Achieving goals
	How will you achieve your goals?
	How will you measure your success in achieving your goals?
	Who will help achieve these goals?

Objectives

Setting objectives
	What are your objectives?
	How will you decide your objectives?
	Who will help determine these objectives?
	What outcomes do you expect from these objectives?
Achieving objectives
	How will you achieve your objectives?
	How will you determine whether your objectives have been met?
	Who will help you achieve your objectives?
	What happens after you achieve your objectives?

Needs assessment

What do you need to know?
	How many retirements are being projected in the local area?? Next year, in 5 years, in 10 years
	What are the local subject area shortages?
	What subject areas will be affected by these retirements?
	What population changes are you expecting in 5 years, in 10 years?
	Are there diversity issues that should be included in your plans?
How easily can you collect this information?
	Who can retrieve this data?
	What do you have to do to obtain this data? (for school districts)
		This data should be available online, to specific individuals.

Structure

Budget development

Program activities

Coursework

Participant development and selection

Outreach

Media and advertising

Data Collection

Evaluation and Assessment

How will the program be evaluated?
	Create/use a survey instrument?
	Interviews with students
	Interviews with staff
	Focus groups
	What other data will be used?
Who will do the evaluation?
	Internal team
	External review?
How often will the evaluation be done?
What will happen with the results of the evaluation?

Office Structure
	Director
	Support staff
	Instructional staff
	Recruiter
University structure It is important to utilize all the resources your campus can provide.
	College/Department of Education
	College of Arts and Sciences The participation of faculty and staff from shortage areas such as science and mathematics is important when creating teaching pathways.
	Enrollment management office This office can provide suggestions and the means to contact your targeted student audience.
	Outreach office
	Academic advising office
	Career planning office
	Public affairs office This office can help promote your program on-and off-campus.
	Minority affairs office
	Office of continuing education Adults enrolled in continuing education are often career changers, some of whom might be interested in teaching.
	Office of the President
External collaborative structure
	Teacher recruitment program director
		Director
		Recruiter
		Support Staff
		Instructional staff
	University representative A representative from the Office of the President would be best as it would indicate the highest level of support for your program.
	School district (s)
	County office(s) of education The county offices of education provide many services to students and school districts, and they may be able to help you recruit future teachers.
	Chamber of commerce It is important for local businesses to understand the teacher shortage and support recruitment programs.
	Professional organizations Local chapters of education associations as well as organizations representing careers that require mathematics and science can be important partners.
	Unions Unions representing teachers and paraeducators are important participants in your collaborative efforts.
Physical structure
	Can you create a one-stop shop, that everyone knows is the place to go if you are interested in becoming a teacher? A visible, accessible location that has been publicized can increase interest in your program.
Policies
Procedures

Funding sources
	Federal
		Americorps Use Americorps funding to support future teachers.
	State
		California Department of Education
			CalServe
		California Postsecondary Education Commission
	Foundations
	Businesses Ask local and regional businesses to provide scholarships, sponsor events, conduct multi-media campaigns, etc. to support teacher recruitment efforts.
	Miscellaneous
		NEA CLASS grants NEA provides financial support to NEA student members launching CLASS projects.

Academic support
	Academic advising
	Transfer advising
	Tutoring
		Professional staff
		Peer tutoring
	Cohorting
	Residential theme houses (college)
	Summer institutes
	Seminars
	Conference participation
	Course delivery options
	Course scheduling to accommodate work schedules
	Test preparation
		Basic skills test CBEST or other options.
		Subject matter tests
	Future teacher club
Experiential activities
	Tutoring
	Job shadowing
	Service learning
		Create activities providing experiences in high-need subject areas. Activities in science laboratories or with individuals with special needs can provide the spark for a career in teaching.
	Mentoring
	Substitute teaching
	Teaching assistant
		Create teaching activities in related but non-traditional sources Not all science, mathematics, and engineering majors will become researchers or professors.
	Future teacher club
	Supervised field experiences
Financial support
	Tuition waiver
	Scholarships
	Book costs
	Forgiveable loans
	Summer employment
	Transportation stipend
	Child care costs
	Signing bonus when hired
	Credit for experience
	Home buying assistance
	Salary differential
	Stipend
Social support
	Campus orientation
	Residence theme house
	Peer support activities
	Family orientation
	Personal counseling
	Child care
	Future teacher club
Career development
	Career counseling
	Mock interview
	Job placement
Employment
	Mock interview
	Job guarantee
	Resume assistance
Professional development
	Summer jobs in industry
	Internships

Curriculum development
	Who is involved in developing the curriculum?
		College/community college faculty (for high school programs)
		Teacher preparation faculty (for community college/college programs)
		Professionals from the field.
	Have you developed one-to-one articulation agreements? (between community colleges and colleges)
Transferability
	Does the course fulfill CSU/UC requirements (for high school and community college programs)
	Does the course fulfill major requirements?
	Does the course fulfill graduation requirements?
	Is the process seamless? The process should be streamlined and easy to follow; you do not want to lose students because your process is confusing.
Class scheduling
	Flexible start and completion dates Life styles do not always fit into typical class schedules; being flexible may enable non-traditional students to participate in your program.
	Accommodating working adults Many working adults are interested in becoming teachers but cannot take courses if they are only offered during the day.
	Clear course sequencing.
Course delivery
	online delivery
	cd, dvd and other non-print media forms
	Off-site course delivery
		Community college courses at high schools
		College courses at high schools and community colleges
		Community college courses at work sites
		College courses at work sites
		Coursework delivered at community sites (library, malls, community centers) Bring your courses to the community instead of expecting the community to come to you.
Dual admissions/enrollment Provide dual enrollment for high school and community college students.
	Can high school students get an early start and participate in your program? (for college programs)
	Can community college students get an early start and participate in your program? (college programs)
	How do students learn about your dual admissions/entrance policy?
Types of courses to develop
	Introduction to teaching seminar. This should fulfill elective units.
	How to obtain financial aid. Financial aid rules change and completion of the FAFSA can be daunting.
	Test preparation SAT, CSET, CBEST, CSET

Potential audiences
	Middle school and high school students
	Students who are working as tutors
	Students involved in service clubs
	College students who have not declared a major
	Students in fields requiring mathematics and science
	First generation college students. They frequently have strong feelings about giving back to their communities and assisting the next generation, which often translates into becoming teachers.
	Students interested in health fields. Health-related fields require science classes.
	Paraeducators
	Engineering students Some engineering students find they are not that interested engineering, but because have completed many math and science courses, they have the potential to become mathematics or science teachers.
	Credentialed teachers who do not immediately start to teach
	Science majors or students interested in science
	Mathematics majors or students interested in math
	Non-working parents
	P.E. majors They have to complete many science courses and, because of their sports background, are often good at team building and coaching/teaching.
	Undeclared students Provide them with some teaching experience and you may be creating your next teacher.
	Non-working grandparents
	Parents and relatives of individuals with special needs. Families of special educators often include individuals with special needs.
	Retirees, particularly those from careers requiring mathematics and science
	Retired military
	Peace Corps members
Candidate selection
	What are your criteria for selecting participants?
		Prior experience in a teaching setting (tutoring, coaching, etc.)
		Commitment to education.
		Experience with students from high need areas (rural, urban)
		Attitudes towards students from high-need areas (rural, urban)
		Writing sample
		teaching session
	Who will be selecting your participants?
		Program director
		Staff
		Program participants
	What is your process for selecting candidates?
		Is this process readily available to potential participants?
		Is the process clearly outlined? Someone not affiliated with your program should review your process to identify any confusing steps.
	Grades
	Recommendations
	Haberman or Gallup Urban Teacher Perceiver tests
	Class standing

Outreach methods All of these methods require good planning and, more importantly, consistent follow up.
	Direct solicitation by program director, teachers, principals, advisors
	Direct mail
		To new students
		To students showing interest in high-need areas
		To students who are members of clubs related to high-need areas.
		To undeclared students
		To parent groups
		To professional organizations To explain the teacher shortage and to recruit potential career changers.
		To community service organizations
		To organizations serving individuals with special needs.
	Workshops for targeted audiences
		at high schools
		At community colleges
		At colleges
		In the community
			At public institutions Libraries, community centers
			At religious institutions
		At professional organizations representing high need areas Here is where you can solicit potential career changers.
	Activities for targeted audiences
		Hold activities at math/science dorms
		Create clubs targeting high need areas. A club for math teachers, science teachers, special education teachers.
	Create a list of speakers. These are individuals who can advocate on behalf of your program.
		Students who are planning on becoming teachers.
		Students who are enrolled in teacher preparation programs.
		Students who received teaching scholarships
		Teacher of the year. From your district or region.
		Teachers of high-need subject areas.
	To ethnic organizations
Outreach materials
	Video, cd, dvd, powerpoint about your program
	High-need area specific brochures
	Poster
	Business cards
	"Stuff" Magnets, stress balls, rulers, pencils, pens, etc. with the name and contact information for your program.
Outreach management
	Maintain a database of the contacts you make
		Make sure you update it each year. This is one way to keep in touch with the contacts you have made.
		Create it in a form from which you can email your contacts.
	Maintain an up-to-date inventory of your materials.
	Review and revise your outreach materials each year. In particular, your program contact information must be correct.
	Create a schedule of annual events Other organizations frequently sponsor annual events that you will want to attend.

Advertising
	Choose your media placements
		Select the right publications/radio or tv stations Advertising agencies know the demographics of all the local print and radio/tv stations so you should choose your ad placements based on your target audience.
			"Throw-away" publications are often neighborhood specific Target specific neighborhoods and place ads in their localized publications
		Select the right time for your ad What time is your targeted audience listening to the radio/watching the tv?
		Consider public places
			Billboards
			Bus stops
			ads attached to buses
	Types of advertising
		Paid advertising
		Public service announcements
Media
	Types of material to develop
		One page description of the teacher shortage
		Collection of personal stories of individuals who became teachers Professional digital photos can help.
		Professional package of outreach materials
			Up-to-date press release
			Frequently asked questions (one page)
			One-page bullet points outlining shortage
			One page description of your program
	Traditional media
	Ethnic media
	Electronic

Things to consider when developing your data collection method
	Take the time to develop your data collection system
		It is harder to go back and collect data from students after they have left your program!
		Think about the various ways you might be able to use the data.
		Make sure you are able to disaggregate the data.
	Are you collecting data that will assist in your evaluation and assessment.
	What security system have you set up?
	For those given access to the data, is the system easy to navigate? If the system is not user-friendly, no one will use it.
	Will it help you provide the data necessary for funding purposes?
		Can you sort the data, using different parameters?
Data to track
	Year in school (or units completed
	Participation in teaching-related activities
		Tutoring
		Peer advising
		Service learning
		Future teacher club
		Substitute teaching
		Volunteering in schools
	Non-academic issues
		First generation college student
		Family responsibilities
		Work/financial situation
	Academic interests/major
	Graduation date From high school. community college, college
	Transfer student? To community college, college
		From which school?
	Tests
		Which tests taken? PSAT, SAT, ACT, CBEST, CSET, Praxis
		When were they taken?
		Was a passing score achieved?
		When will the test be repeated?
	Subject matter competency?
		By subject matter program? Which program?
		By CSET? What date?
	For credentialed teachers
		Which teacher preparation program?
		What type of program? Post-baccalaureate, intern
		Program completion date
		What credential obtained?
	Diversity-related factors Age, ethnicity, gender