One of the biggest challenges for school leaders is trying to determine how to motivate teachers and keep them engaged and growing in the education profession year after year. We typically think of motivation as a stable characteristic. Either teachers are motivated or they’re not. That’s not the case. Motivation is something that is built and maintained within individuals. Teachers who are … [Read more...]
How to Motivate Teachers Using the IKEA Effect
One of the biggest challenges for many school districts is motivating teachers. How do I know? One of the most frequent search terms we have identified on k12hrsolutions.com is the question “How to motivate teachers?” This question has slowly risen near the top of all search results on the site over the past five years. This caused us to ask, are teachers that are entering the classroom … [Read more...]
How Can School Leaders Prevent Teacher Burnout?
The beginning of the school year seems to be an odd time to discuss teacher burnout. The new school year is filled with excitement among staff and students about the possibilities for the new school year. As any seasoned school leader knows, the excitement of the new year can quickly fade for many new teachers. Ambitious ideas are met with challenging realities. New teachers can … [Read more...]
HR Professionals: A Primary Care Doctor for School District Organizational Health
This article was written by Adam Taylor. Adam is a Vice President here at K12 HR Solutions and manages our projects related to employee compensation and benefits and organizational effectiveness. We are providing an organizational health assessment with this article. You can request this free resource using the link below. Let’s face it. We live in a world … [Read more...]
9 Ways Micro Credentials Could Make Huge Changes in Your School District
This is one of the most informative podcasts we've recorded. This month we focus on the topic of micro credentials and feature Wisconsin's Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Patricia Deklotz of the Kettle Moraine School District. I was first introduced Kettle Moraine's efforts in micro credentials in the November issue of School Administrator. Micro credentials may seem like the next fad in … [Read more...]
I Don’t Think You’re Ready to be a Principal: How to Maintain Relationships After Professional Rejection
Spring is just around the corner and principal positions will be posted in school districts across the country. For every principal position posted and awarded, there are many aspiring school leaders who are not selected. Difficult conversations with teachers are challenging (which explains why many school leaders prefer to avoid them altogether). They are even more challenging when teachers … [Read more...]
What District Leaders Should Know About Veterans’ Preference in School Districts
Each November school districts across the country host programs to teach students to honor veterans for their service. For many districts, depending on their state laws, honoring and recognizing the service of veterans doesn’t wait until November. Veterans' Preference in school districts allows districts to recognize veterans in human resource decisions throughout the year. Too often though, … [Read more...]
New FLSA Update for School Districts
On this episode of the K12 HR Solutions Podcast I'll discuss: Changes from the Department of Labor that will take effect December 1, 2016 Exemptions under FLSA and which ones are more likely to affect school districts How these changes will likely impact school districts How school districts can prepare for new changes to FLSA A free resource to … [Read more...]
Should Districts Use Personality Tests to Hire Teachers?
If your district is considering using personality tests to hire teachers, take a few moments to read through this article and consider if personality tests are a good fit for your hiring practices. While school leaders want to ensure they are hiring the most qualified staff members, you may find that personality tests aren't as useful as they appear to be. Imagine for a … [Read more...]
8 Strategies to Improve Onboarding for Teachers
Do extra efforts in the first several months of courtship help relationships last longer? Or, should someone entering a new relationship simply rely on spontaneity and allow fate take over? No this isn’t an article about dating. It is about the beginning of the employee/ employer relationship in school districts. More specifically, I want to focus on effective onboarding for teachers. We … [Read more...]