Techniques in Addressing Issues Common to HR

Mentors for Beginning Teachers and Induction for Administrators - Mentoring programs for new teachers is critical. One of the roles I held in my organization was as a new teacher mentor coach. It was a wonderful experience and it was so beneficial to the teachers. We had less teacher attrition during the 2 years that the program was implemented. It eventually become to expensive to continue funding but I think that the payoffs in attrition and teacher preparedness and burnout outweighed the costs. As stated by Seyfarth, teachers respond better to other teachers over administrators. This is because they are not threatened. They feel that the advice they are receiving from observations in meant to grow them as opposed to be evaluative. The training we received was from The New Teacher Center in California. Their program was phenomenal. The program was very intentional and didn't rely on people volunteering to help others. It also was a job of one person so that teachers that are already in the classroom are not having to try and find time in their day to meet, coach and model for someone else.

Job Satisfaction and Teacher Turnover - Attrition and teacher turnover are issues in my school. It seems as though every year we are hiring between 5-10 new teachers and we only have 38 teachers in the building. At one time our management group implemented a new teacher mentor coach position which was a wonderful tool and strategy for trying to keep new teachers and to support teachers from burning out while working in an inner city school. Our text referenced a statistic that 1/2 of new teachers in urban schools will leave within 5 years. I have heard teachers comment before that they are going to look for something different because they know that they can go somewhere else and not have to work as hard. While it can be frustrating to be looking for new people, we have to decide that the children are what is most important and that if this is the attitude of the teacher, we don't want them working with the kids anyway. Schools do need to strategize about how they will work to keep teachers rather than accepting the high turn over. There is too much vested in the training and relationships with current staff to continue having to go through the process every year.

Characteristics of Successful Evaluation Programs - Seyfarth states that successful evaluation programs inform teachers in advance what criteria will be used to judge performance.  I have found this to be very true.  Within my organization there are several different rubrics used in the evaluation process depending on the job held within the building.  Teacher rubrics are very specific about the criteria that is used to measure performance and teachers have an understanding of what they must be able to demonstrate in order to receive any given number on the evaluation form.  This makes conducting evaluations so much better for the administration as well as the teachers.  It makes the process less subjective and this makes teachers feel that the process is fair.  I also like to meet with teachers personally to review the evaluation they are going to be receiving with them one on one as opposed to just filling it out.  Teachers appreciate the care that is taken since it can be a very stressful time for them.

Qualities of Productive Work Environments - Jacobson identified 8 key components of a quality work environment.  Clear mission, stimulating professional development opportunities, supportive administrative leadership, professional culture, opportunity to use one's talents and skills, comfortable, attractive and well-equipped physical space, adequate time to perform required tasks and adequate supply of materials and equipment.  One of the comments from the text that made an impression on me was that according to Comer, schools neglect physical, social and moral development.  Fuller states that teachers have had to become so focused on raising test scores that they are not focusing on these other things.  I see these things happening in our building as well.  Teachers are having to be so focused on test scores.  They drive everything that they do.  There scores are tied to so many things for them and now with the new state accountability for teachers and administrators, I think this will just get worse.  I don't think my teachers are ignoring kids because I think they have fantastic relationships with students, but there aren't enough hours in the day to do all that they need to do and somethings have to give.  They are going to focus on the academic objectives if they have to choose over other objectives that they may not feel are as important.  

Methods of Resolving Conflict and Managing Conflict Through the Grievance Process - Conflict resolution is a huge piece in human resources.  It seems as though I spend at least some part of my day almost everyday solving some sort of conflict.  The conflict may not reach the extent of requiring a mediator or ombudsmen but I feel as though mediation on some level takes place often.  The mediation leads to achieving cooperation with one another.  Reading information regarding the grievance process was beneficial for me as I have never been a part of a public school sector or a part of a union.  

Theories and Concepts in HR Management

Model of Student Learning – Model 1.1 in the text is an excellent conceptual model for the classroom.  Teacher evaluations and professional development experiences impact teacher performance.  Their performance along with the efforts by students are what show up in student learning results.  This model reminds me of the formative assessment process definition where it discusses adjustments being made in the learning process either by the teacher or the student based on the feedback that the student receives.  I feel that many times we forget the importance of the role of the student.

Organizational Effectiveness – One of the points I took away from this section is that essentially, educational programs change focus based upon the public’s expectations.  If they are pushing achievement, that becomes the focus.  There are several pieces that encompass a solid organization, efficiency, human relations, equality, and quality.   All of which have had their own day in the limelight of the public eye where the politicians and policymakers thought that they were going to be the person to reform education by focusing on one of these things in education. 

School-Based Management – This was one attempt at school reform by trying to give back to schools the power to make decisions based upon their expertise and experience.  Unfortunately, again, with all of the pressure from policymakers to be accountable for student’s scores, it has become less popular.

NCLB – This is probably the reform movement that most people can speak to.  Again, led by policymakers and politicians.  Like most reform movements, it has it strengths and weaknesses.  One strength is its requirement for highly qualified teachers.  This keeps schools from bringing in people that are not trained to be teachers and are not knowledgeable about the content.  One weakness is that it totally relies on test results with cut scores that are inconsistent across states and that with the focus on results it pressures schools to do less experiential teaching and may even be accused of teaching to the test.

Transfer Policies and Student Learning – In regards to transferring teachers, I am reminded of a scenario in the movie Waiting for Superman.  Up until I watched that movie I had no idea of how districts will transfer poor performing teachers from one building to the other that they are unable to get out of the system due to tenure or other issues.  Our textbook states that principals admitted moving a poor performing teacher to another building with the hopes of obtaining a more effective teacher.  This to me is similar to playing Russian roulette.  It is a chance; you could actually be obtaining a teacher from another building or a brand new teacher with even greater performance concerns than what left the building. 

Nature of Work Motivation and Job Satisfaction in Teaching – Seyfarth states that a teacher with unsatisfactory results has either a lack of motivation, lack of knowledge or both.  Interestingly enough I have had this conversation with my deans several times.  When we discuss low performing teachers we talk about if the issues that they have a coachable.  Are the areas of concern regarding motivation to follow through with the strategies, techniques, practices, etc. that are being provided to them; or is it that they want to do those things, but they really don’t have the skills to be able to implement the advice.  It becomes the responsibility of the administrator to try and determine where the problem lies and then whether or not they will be able to work with the teacher to fix the problem.  There are certainly several things that can increase job satisfaction and may be used to motivate teachers if it is determined that the skills are present to raise scores.  Those include rewards and security, working with other people, the nature of the work, the working conditions, ability to exert influence and structure.  Any changes that can be made in these areas are likely to motivate the teacher.

Purposes and Types of Induction – Orientation programs, performance improvement programs and state mandated induction programs are three different types of teacher induction programs.  With the exception of the state mandated program, the orientation and performance improvement programs are most common.  Orientation tends to be incredibly overwhelming for new teachers as they try to absorb all of the information that is thrown at them in a few short days and hasn’t proven to be overly effective.  Performance improvement programs tend to be related to professional development sessions focusing on strategies or instructional practices.  These programs could be more effective if they were spread out through the year instead of what most schools do, trying to pack everything in a few days before school starts and then asking teachers to run with them.

Functions of Professional Development and Characteristics of Effective Professional Development – Implementing curricular change, improving instructional practices and enabling teacher growth are three important reasons for implementing professional development.  Teachers are going to be apprehensive about change if they don’t fully understand what it involves.  Research is constantly taking place to improve instruction and help teachers improve.  It is important to understand that professional development doesn’t have to only come in the form of a classroom or conference.  We can learn from conversations and observations of others as well.

Reasons for Low Salaries, Single Salary Schedules, Forms of Incentive Pay and Containing Costs – A common reason for why teaches make less money is that they have summers off.  While it isn’t entirely true, Seyfarth states that teachers do work 9% fewer days and this is one reason they are paid less.  It can also be attributed to the fact that predominately women professions will overall pay less than professions where there are more men.  This seems unfair and the single salary schedule was proposed to try and alleviate that problem.  It has its pros and cons.  A pro would be that it gives more generous raises to teachers in their beginning years to help offset teacher attrition.  A con being that it may not be what is best for teachers but principals liked it because it avoided evaluations being tied to increases and salaries.  Incentive pay comes in many forms such as for performance, and alternative pay plans.  We use forms of incentive pay in my building with performance pay for those that meet or exceed student growth standards.  We also offer tuition credit for classes toward graduate work.  Containing costs by being financially responsible is critical for an administrator so as to ensure that they are recruiting appropriately.  Again, I feel that working in a public district with unions makes this piece more critical since in my organization teachers are not eligible for paid for overtime or unused sick/personal days.

Psychological Success and Work Environments – It is crucial that administrators are aware of work conditions and how they may be affecting the performance of their staff.  While they may feel that they have provided teachers with all of the necessary tools to do their job effectively, there may be other pieces they are not aware of.  This is why it is critical for administrators to have an open door policy and to encourage staff to give them feedback about what they need.  Surveying staff periodically throughout the year would be another way of reaching out to staff and letting them know you are interested in what you can do to support them.

New Forms of Collective Bargaining – Collective bargaining is something that started in the business sector and was brought into the educational setting.  It hasn’t been as effective since boards don’t have the amount of resources and freedoms available to them that the business world does.  Therefore, different approaches of bargaining have been explored such as win-win, expedited, and progressive.

Role of Line Manger vs Staff Specialist

Projecting School Enrollment and Determining Staff Allocations – One of the roles of an administrator is to ensure that their building or enrollment is full.  Fewer students mean less money and the need for fewer teachers.  In order to be fiscally responsible, part of that determination is made by projecting enrollment numbers.  Administrators need to be aware of local developments in the community.  What things are happening that may cause an influx or a reduction in enrollment numbers.  In addition to looking at the community, they can use cohorts to predict that most grades will remain the same as the year before, looking at first grade enrollment based on kindergarten and the number of births five years prior and finally, but knowing ahead of time the number of students being retained in certain grade levels.  This goes for staffing as well.  School leaders need to begin looking ahead of time at what teachers may not return due to retirement, resignation or termination.  This along with the predictions regarding enrollment will help cutback on the possibilities of late hires or laid off teachers.

Skills of Effective Leaders – Leaders like teachers are often asked what their philosophy is or what kind of classroom management style do they have.  I always feel this is a difficult question because any good teacher or leader is going to have different situations in which they exhibit different styles.  Seyfarth lists nine skills that he believes good leaders exhibit.  These skills are, assertiveness, interpersonal communication skills, persuasiveness, optimism, stability, calmness under pressure, well-organized, problem-solving ability and planning skills.  I have found that I can use any one of these skills at different times of the day depending on a situation that arises.  I also know that I have learned to surround myself with a team that compliments my strengths and fills in the gaps of my weaknesses.  As long as a leader isn’t afraid to delegate some of their responsibilities, they can gain even more from these skills.

Administrative Leadership for Induction – A principal plays a key role in helping new teachers become settled in the building.  They can do this by encouraging new teachers with support and an induction/mentoring program.  How the administrator presents the program to new teachers makes a difference in how willing new teachers are to embrace the program and understand the purpose is to help them, not make them feel inferior or apprehensive about others watching them.  Principals will be most successful in their programs if they remember to not overwhelm new teachers with unrealistic expectations, discipline problems or extra responsibilities.  They also need to make sure they aren’t waiting to late to provide them with information that will be helpful for their instruction and ensure that feedback given to them is helpful in regards to improving their teaching. 

Planning for Professional Development and Professional Development for Administrators and Support Personnel – In regards to being a staff specialist, principals need to take into account the types of programs that they will offer to staff, will it be centralized or decentralized.  Professional development needs to be relevant to the staff and their needs.  Cost is also a concern.  Many times it could be funded through grant funds or foundation budget monies set aside or allocated for professional development, but principals need to make sure that they spend the money wisely using it on programs that are going to be the most beneficial since funds will be limited.  Surveys are a key component of professional development in order to determine if staff needs were met and if they feel the need for follow up training or information.  An administrator also wants to follow up with staff by looking for evidence that the information gleaned from the session is being implemented.  If teachers aren’t using the information, they obviously don’t feel that the professional development was beneficial.  Seyfarth addresses professional development needs of administrators as well.  Interestingly, as a new leader when I probably need more, I have been getting less.  I equate it to the mother that has limited money so she spends it on her children.  I find myself using funds to send my staff to workshops or conferences that they would like to attend as opposed to using it for myself.  I felt that it was selfish to do anything else.  I am learning that it is anything but selfish, but instead helpful.  If I don’t continue to grow myself as a leader, how can I continue to be successful at leading?

Models of Teacher Evaluation, State-Mandated Evaluation Systems and Evaluation of Principals – There are several models of evaluation discussed by Seyfarth.  Those models are remediation model, goal setting model, portfolio model, student achievement model and peer assistance/review model.  These models are a variety of formative or summative types of models.  In looking at them in detail, I felt I was most familiar with the student achievement model.  This is similar to one of the pieces that we use in our building for summative evaluations twice a year.  There were other models that I felt I had either used in the past or implement partially now.  The model I felt the least familiar with was the portfolio model.  While it was considered to be a summative model, I felt it would be difficult to be subjective with this type of evaluation.  I did like the idea of using it for vocational teachers where so much of what they do is creative and in need to documentation.  That being said, I think that like students, many times the evaluations are not regarded as avenues for improvement but as a way to demonstrate whatever the evaluator is looking for in order to do well, whether it is suited to the teacher or not.  In order to equalize teacher performance within the state, I believe that many more states will be moving to some sort of state mandated evaluation system.  There becomes a concern or accountability and making sure that all teachers are being critiqued on the same scales.  Teachers are not the only ones that need to be held accountable for the success of students.  School leaders are in need of evaluation as well.  Seyfarth examined an alternative route for evaluation outside of the traditional performance review with the 360-degree feedback. 

Teacher Stress and Burnout – Teachers are experiencing more stress and burnout then ever before.  There are several factors that could contribute to the stress levels that are tied to the different labels given to each kind of stress.  Time stress, where teachers feel pressured to complete tasks in unrealistic time frames.  Situational stress occurs when the teacher feels insufficient to cope with the demands of a situation.  Perhaps the teacher is expected to teach content that they don’t feel adequately prepared to teach or there are too many demands placed on the teacher.  Many times this type of stress can be avoided by ensuring that teachers are prepared for the job and that considerations of the stress of the job are thought about when making hiring decisions.  Encounter stress occurs when a teacher has to deal with hostile or critical people.  It seems that this is occurring more and more often in the schools with students as well as parents.  Finally, anticipatory stress is the anticipation of a stressful event such as evaluations or awaiting the results of state assessments.  Signs that teachers in the building may be stressed are excessive teacher absenteeism.  This is a tricky effect then as absenteeism can lead to loss of student learning.  These different stresses can eventually lead to teacher burnout.  Seyfarth lists nine different strategies for principals to use to curb stress and prevent burnout.  A common thread amongst them all is support.

Impact of Collective Bargaining – Collective bargaining is said to have had an effect on teacher salaries, instruction and principal power.  For teacher salaries, the effect seems to be positive.  Districts with collective bargaining have higher salaries, better benefits, and better working conditions with fewer students and more planning time.  While it is difficult to say for sure, results of collective bargaining on instruction appear to be positive unless strikes are enacted and teachers are out of the classrooms.  Therefore, in districts with collective bargaining principals need to do whatever they can to avoid strikes and if they do occur, they need to try and maintain normal practices that best that they can.  Most principals feel that collective bargaining schools are beneficial as the teachers feel more security in their jobs and have a better sense of what is expected from them as responsibilities are clearly laid out.

Dismissal/Nonrenewal and Documenting Unsatisfactory Performance – There are several reasons that teachers may be dismissed from their roles or have a non-renewed contract.  Some of those reasons being immoral behavior, insubordination, incompetency or conviction of a crime.  Principals have said in the past that it can be almost impossible to remove a teacher from a position due to the protections of the union, though many employers use an at-will employment philosophy.  Any teacher that is dismissed needs to be given the opportunity for due process.  School leaders need to be proactive in this area by ensuring that they document all concerns about teachers.  If parents complain, it should be noted.  Notes of all evaluations and meeting providing feedback should also be kept.  

Major Elements of HR Program

Model of the Selection Process and Identifying Selection Criteria – The selection process for choosing school personal needs to be concise.  It is important to prepare a job description that encompasses all of the pieces that an candidate would need to perform  as well as qualifications needed and terms of employment in order to ensure that only people that are able to meet those requirements or are truly interested in performing the duties necessary will apply.  It ensures that applicants are serious about their interest in the position.  Once a job description has been made, it becomes important then to determine the selection criteria.  There will me a number of candidates that express interest in the position and may meet the qualification necessary to fill the role.  The question then becomes whether or not they demonstrate the knowledge, attitude and skill set necessary to fill the role as valued by the school district.  Seyfarth lists ten principles that schools might use when looking for new teachers.  These are then used to construct interview questions and ideas for demonstration lessons.  As long as the criteria remains consistent amongst all candidates, it should help the district to ensure they are choosing the best candidate for the position.

Sources of Information About Applicants – When determining who should be hired, districts need to look at all pieces in order to find the right fit for their school.  Part of that responsibility comes from being thorough in looking at all the information possible about a particular candidate.  This includes the application and reviewing their answers to the questions.  This may even include short answer questions or demonstration of writing/communication skills.  Licensure and certification also become important to verify that candidates are highly qualified and meet NCLB standards.  Transcripts may not be required in all districts but they are an important piece in order to verify that candidates have truly completed a college degree.  References are also a critical piece as gaining insight from others that have worked with a candidate can be valuable in regards to skills, work ethic, reliability, etc.  This in conjunction with background checks in order to ensure there are no criminal activities on a candidate’s record before they become a part of the school environment.  Finally, having candidates provide evidence of success in prior positions with test scores or data showing how they grew their students academically is another source of information.  While Seyfarth doesn’t reference social networking websites such as Facebook, this is also another source for gathering pertinent information about a candidate.

Selection Procedures and Selection of Principals/Assistant Principals – Within my organization, I feel we follow a very thorough selection process for all school staff, including administrative positions.  All positions not matter what role they fill begin by preparing an accurate job description.  All open positions and job descriptions are then posted on the company website to announce the vacancy as well as sent in e-mail to all current employees for those that might be interested in internal transfers.  Our management group has a talent acquisition department that pre-screens all candidates over the phone with the Hiberman screening before their names can be passed on to the individual schools.  The talent department also reviews applications, conducts background checks and reference checks at this stage of the process as well.  The school is then notified of candidates that are ready for an in-school interview and demonstration lesson.  Once the school has chosen a candidate, they notify the talent consultant and they notify those candidates that did not receive the position as well as the candidate that did.  Interviews in our building are usually panel interviews made up of administrators and teachers that would be a part of the team working with the candidate should they win the position.  The process is the same for administration with additional steps.  When a candidate is selected they then must be interviewed by the different department heads at the corporate office.  Those include, curriculum, marketing, measurement/assessment and a comprehensive meeting with the potential supervisor.  This process usually takes 4-6 hours to complete.  It is extremely stressful  for the candidate, but tends to be very thorough.

Purposes of Performance Evaluation and Legal Considerations in Personnel Evaluation – There are two major forms of evaluation – summative and formative.  We conduct both types within my building.  Teachers are given semi-annual evaluations which are kept in their personnel files and used for determining promotions, pay increases and bonus potential.  There are also formative evaluations which are conducted by the deans when they come to classrooms each week doing observations.  Teachers then meet with their dean once a week during their O3 (30 minute meeting) to discuss the observation and are provided affirming feedback for the things that are going well in their rooms and adjusting feedback for the things that may need some work.  Since evaluations, especially the summative, are the most legally challenged decisions by teachers, it is best for administrators to ensure they are following all of the evaluation procedures of their district.  This might include items like, flexibility, being fair, offering assistance, etc.

Sound Compensation Plans and Constructing a Salary Schedule – Part of the responsibility of a human resources department is to create a sound compensation plan.  This means taking into consideration knowing the competitive districts for qualified candidates and what they offer by way of salaries and benefits to their employees.  Many teachers hold two jobs due to low salaries and they will be easily moved from district to district if one has more to offer them than another.  Constructing a salary schedule is another key piece of human resources.  This is a difficult task and requires great amounts of data in relation to number of grade levels, job descriptions and grade cut offs. 

Anti-Discrimination Legislation, Constitutional Protections for Employees, Sexual Harassment and Affirmative Action/Reverse Discrimination – Being aware of anti-discrimination laws such as the civil rights act, pregnancy discrimination act, age discrimination, rehabilitation act and American’s with disabilities act are all important pieces of human resource management.  These laws protect groups from being biased against when hiring, looking for promotions and for salary increases.  Knowing and understanding these protected groups is important and it is also important for the people within the school buildings to know and understand these laws as well since they play such a critical role in the hiring process.  People that are sitting on interview panels need to be aware of questions that would be considered inappropriate to ask in regards to any of the protected area.  Employees also have Constitutional rights in regards to speech, association and religion.  These are additional laws that a school leader needs to be aware of to protect themselves from disciplining employees for things that may be allowable based upon employees Constitutional rights.  Crucial mistakes could be made if leaders are not made aware of situations where employees are exercising their rights and when they are crossing the line by exploiting private school business.  Before I was the leader at my school we became involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit with a former employee.  It was during that time that I learned that sexual harassment laws cover more than sexual encounters.  They are cumbersome of any harassment in regards to weight, age, sexual persuasion, race, etc.  I also became aware through the lawsuit that any leader can be held liable if they know of harassment taking place in the building even if it isn’t reported as being offensive.  It is the responsibility of the leader to make sure that the workplace is free of harassment and that no employee come to work and feel uncomfortable.  In the school setting this is also true for students.  I watched this process go through the courts and I decided at that moment that this was never a road I wanted to go down and all leaders need to be aware of the delicacy of handling some of these situations so as not to have to experience the courtroom.  There is a distinction between affirmative action and reverse discrimination and employers need to be careful to not cross the line.  There is a need to open up hiring opportunities to minority groups, but to give preference to these groups then becomes reverse discrimination.  I think that if you practice equal hiring within the organization, many of these laws and acts won’t become an issue for the district.  Hiring, promoting and increases that can be supported and documented as proof of qualifications, experience and skill should have no concerns.  These laws and acts are good to know in order to help an administrator stay out of trouble. 

Nature of Conflict in Organizations – Conflict in any workplace is going to be common.  It usually centers around resources, application of rules, confusion about the rules and questions about evaluations.  To avoid conflict in regards to resources, Seyfarth suggests focusing on the mission and vision statements of the school in order to determine which activities in the school receive the most funding.  The mission will determine which activities these are.  If employees are given detailed descriptions of their duties and responsibilities, it will cut down on the confusion over what is supposed to be being done and will cause fewer questions and problems.  Also, using clear language that can easily be defined will help with confusion over rules.  Being as specific as possible in wording rules makes for less conflict.  Finally, evaluation procedures being discussed prior to the evaluation taking place will make employees less threatened and they know what is expected which improves their chances of doing well and creates less conflict.

Dealing with Employee Misconduct – I agree with Seyfarth in that disciplining of an employee should be about them leaning something from it, not as a punishment.  There are three levels of discipline, verbal reprimand, written reprimand and involuntary leave.  I recently went through all three stages of discipline at the building.  We had an employee accused of unprofessional behavior.  They were first talked to and given a verbal reprimand.  As the day went on, other pieces of evidence began coming up and the employee was reported to the corporate office where it was determined they should be placed on involuntary leave with pay pending an investigation.   At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined they could return to work, but they were issues a final written warning or written reprimand.