LM Nov-Dec_2023

Retention ... cont’d.

4. Try to be personal—birthdays, family activities, awards and recognitions, etc. This fits for all staff members, not only new teachers. 5. Provide new technology and in-service in new instruction al trends. 6. Unless the new employee expresses an interest, try not to overburden them with co-curricular activities and other extra duties—let them learn their craft before letting them do non-contractual activities. During the Exiting of Staff 1. Do an exit interview. Ask these questions—Why are you leaving? What could we have done better to help you be successful? Is there anything else we should know about your time in the district? 2. Be helpful to them as they exit—we need them to speak well of us. 3. Talk to them about how their remaining pay and benefits will be handled. 2. Express gratitude to your staff—early and often. 3. Observe and interact with them—early and often. 4. Show your staff you care for them as human beings and teachers. 5. Offer your staff time to provide suggestions for district improvement along with concerns. We used monthly advisory meetings to achieve a portion of this goal. As you can see, it doesn’t cost a lot of money to implement strategies and techniques to help retain teachers on your staff. The bottom line is we must tackle the retention and attrition areas, along with recruitment, for long-range solu tions to this growing teacher shortage problem. to be continued... Watch for Part 2 of this story in the January issue of Leadership Matters. Basics For All Staff Members 1. Extend grace—early and often.

different setting than the formal interview room. If teachers are on the tour, take time to introduce the candidate to the teacher and let them interact with each other. During the On-Boarding of the New Staff 1. Having a planned new employee workshop is vitally import ant. Giving time to transportation and bus details, special education, building and grounds, and technology along with district trends such as Board direction and the code of conduct should be included in this session. A planned tour of the district would be nice during the new employee workshop. 2. Provide planned mentor and induction knowledge that each teacher will go through. This can be further enhanced by inclu- ding these activities with professional development activities. 3. Set up social settings for new teachers and, at times, the entire staff. This helps develop teamwork. 4. Provide a map of key community resources—places of worship, restaurants, grocery stores, banks, clothing stores, hair stylists, etc. 5. Assist all new hires with licensure requirements and getting assistance from the local Regional Office of Education. 6. Help with housing locations, banking and shopping. During the School Year 1. Continuing with mentor meetings. Focus on classroom discipline, district curriculum, school law updates to assist with classroom management and help give the new teach er strength to deal with conflict with students, parents and community. 2. Provide school law updates. We suggest purchasing the Illinois School Law Survey by Brian Braun from the Illinois Association of School Boards. 3. Check-in meetings are helpful with the building principal, HR director, and/or superintendent.

Ralph Grimm is a retired Illinois Superintendent who served districts for 21 years in that role. He currently serves the Illinois Association of School Administrators as a Field Services Director. He also provides Professional Development training to the association members and provides consulting services with boards of education, school districts, schools, and teams throughout Illinois. rgrimm@iasaedu.org. Dr. Jim Rosborg is a retired Illinois Superintendent and Director of the Master’s in Education Program at McKendree University. He is a co-author of 2 books and was named the 2004 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. He has researched the Teacher Shortage extensively since 2014 and has authored several articles on Teacher Shortage and No Child Left Behind. He currently works with doctorate students at McKendree University and speaks to educators and boards about the shortage and its possible solutions. jtrosborg@mckendree.edu .

25 LM Holidays 2023