Attract, Recruit & Hire
How can schools build a pipeline of talent to help meet our mission and vision for a better world?
For too long, schools have relied on candidates to come to us, either because of their own knowledge about independent schools or through pools and processes organized by search agencies. For most schools, this passive approach yielded strong pools of mission-aligned candidates ready to jump into the classroom. But the labor market has changed and this passive approach isn’t working as effectively as it once did. Schools need to expand where we look and how we think about potential teaching candidates.
From career-changes to recent college graduates, schools need to do more to connect with non-traditional candidates and paint a compelling picture of independent school teaching careers. Making changes at the top of your recruitment funnel, to borrow a term from our enrollment management colleagues, will require some changes to other parts of your talent strategy, but we believe these changes will bring dynamic educators to your schools, eager to contribute to the mission of your community.
Peer Learning Opportunities
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Recruiting & Hiring Considerations for 2025
Insights for the complexities of recruiting and hiring the faculty you need in 2025.
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Academic Leader Cohorts
This popular member benefit, which is included with schools' membership, offers Academic Leaders the chance to gather for informal conversations on topics they have in common with peers in similar roles in schools across the country.
Resources & Insights
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Navigating the Hiring Landscape
The hiring landscape changed dramatically during the COVID pandemic. In order to understand tactics that may work for your school, Academic Leaders need to know what changed during the pandemic and what trends are currently impacting the hiring landscape.
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Interviewing Candidates? Here's a Tactic to Try
Tell candidates up front what you’re going to be asking them during interviews. This approach supports all candidates, not just fast-processing extroverts and experienced interviewers.
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Ursuline Case Study: Insights on Recruiting, Engaging, and Retaining Faculty in 2023
Recruiting and keeping great teachers is critical. Explore Ursuline’s strategies for faculty retention and engagement.
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Recruiting & Hiring Resource Library
There’s more helpful insights from members and the Association in our member library.
Association Research Assistant
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When you ask the Association Research Assistant a question, you’ll get a brief answer with the big ideas to consider. Plus, you’ll get links to the top Association courses, articles, & videos for a dive into the topic.
Here are a few questions to get you started on this topic:
What is the difference between recruiting and hiring? →
How does sharing interview questions in advance promote equity and inclusion in the hiring process? →
What challenges do Academic Leaders face in teacher recruitment, and how can they be addressed? →
Association programming and resources provide new ways of thinking about the recruiting and hiring process at your school. Everything is included in a school's membership and all Academic Leaders are able to participate.
Learn from Academic Leaders in Roles Like Yours
Innovating to Widen the Talent Pipeline
Christy helped create a new talent pipeline to bring professionals from other industries into independent school teaching. "Our community has benefited from having people who are pushing us to explain the why behind everything, and who bring different perspectives for us as we think about our why," shared Diefenderfer.
- Christy Diefenderfer
Lower School Division Director at Holton-Arms School
Insights on Recruiting, Engaging, and Retaining Faculty
Says that the most important question she gets from prospective candidates is: “‘Why do teachers love working at Ursuline?’ This question encompasses so much, and I know the concerns underlying this question are “How will the school support me? and “Will I belong here?” Learn how Elizabeth addresses these concerns in her blog post.
- Elizabeth Smith
Dean of Academics at Ursuline Academy of Dallas
Competency, Not Experience
Notes that the idea that there’s a single “best” candidate is outdated. Instead, Academic Leaders must learn to recognize candidates who are right for your school. To make this shift, Academic Leaders need to learn to analyze applications through a lens of competency rather than prior experience.
- Lorry Perry
Head of High School at Grace Church School