Dive Brief:

• Using data in teacher hiring can help districts attract and secure candidates while providing a more accurate barometer about whether an educator will teach effectively, eradicating personal bias and promoting diversity when hiring.
• Companies like AppliTrack and HumaneX Ventures are offering proprietary screening tools that draw out themes in application materials, measure an individual's commitment to growth, and track outcomes.
• Experts warn, however, that an overreliance on data can be detrimental, since an in-person interview can relay a lot of information about a potential candidate. 

Dive Insight:

The art of refining a hiring strategy can certainly be helped along with the use of data software, but it's wise to keep expert advice in mind around the benefit of a "human touch" when hiring.  With a dearth of appropriate candidates, many districts are currently challenged when it comes to hiring teachers.

Creative incentives can help, such as offering perks like new hire bonuses, helping potential candidates earn teaching credentials, and giving teachers planning to retire a bonus to tell administrators about their plans ahead of time so that they can plan better for replacements. 

Yet other say that the teacher shortage is cyclical, and not as bad as it seems, despite the fact that enrollment in teacher preparation programs has fallen by double digit percentages in the U.S. One recommendation for districts is to focus on "growing" their own teachers: encouraging local paraprofessionals and graduates to consider teaching as a full-time job, based on the premise that those with existing ties to a location will be more likely to remain there.

Recommended Reading

Education Week: More Districts Mine Data to Refine Teacher Hiring