How are you maintaining innovation through staff turnover?
Five Mindsets & Practices to Adopt to Maintain Innovation During Staff Turnover
I’m Kelly Croy, Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2011 and Director of Innovation & Instruction at Port Clinton City Schools in Ohio. As an Apple Distinguished Educator and Apple Learning Coach, I’m confident that innovation in schools can be maintained even with staff turnover.
With the word ‘innovation’ in my title, I spend a great deal of my time learning, collaborating and planning around how our district and the schools I work with can maintain innovation especially while districts around the world are experiencing unfortunate higher than normal staff turnover.
Let’s be clear on what innovation truly is; it is quite simply finding the best ways to teach, learn and operate in our schools. The word innovation is too often and inaccurately reserved for technology integration and initiatives.
Innovation is about finding better solutions which can be difficult with educators and leaders transferring to other districts or leaving education altogether.
A lot of districts abandon innovative approaches to teaching, learning and leading during times of higher than expected staff turnover because they are caught off guard and feel as if they should just focus on surviving.
Here are five mindsets you must adopt to maintain innovation during staff turnover:
Expect Staff Turnover: Expect position changes in all departments. Adopt the mindset that anyone could leave at anytime. Staff turnover isn’t a phase that is going away. This is the new normal. We need to prepare for change anywhere at anytime. Staff turnover isn’t isolated to education; all employers are facing the challenges of staffing. Get creative and be prepared to work to retain your best and recruit the best.
View Turnover as an Opportunity For All: Someone leaving your district does not have to be viewed as a negative, in fact, you should look at it as if you prepared this person for their new role. Don’t label it as a negative. Celebrate the advancement of a colleague and welcome the opportunity to train and befriend someone new. The vast majority of turnover we have seen in our district have been promotions to new positions elsewhere. We need to celebrate that! We need to adopt the attitude that we are helping others advance, while preparing ourselves for the possibility of change. This is an opportunity for fresh, new ideas and personalities to engage and influence students.
Retain & Recruit Talent: School Districts need to review and adjust contracts and how they operate to retain the talented educators and staff members currently working in their district, as well as recruit new talent when positions open. How we interview has changed! New questions and new priorities. Our district has altered hiring practices to adjust and adapt to the needs of our times and district. I’m sure future negotiations will be as innovative as well. We attend and host more job fairs than ever before, and our amazing Director of Communications, as well as our entire admin team, is always highlighting why it’s great to work in our district. We also work closely with our community so people know why they would want to move here too!
Prioritize Knowledge Transfer and Succession Planning: Recognize the importance of knowledge transfer and succession planning in maintaining continuity during staff turnover. Encourage experienced staff to mentor new hires, document best practices, and share institutional knowledge. By prioritizing succession planning, educational leaders ensure that the organization can sustain its innovative initiatives even as personnel change over time. We create electronic files where best practices, pacing and projects are stored. We utilize mentors for those brand new to education and teacher guides for veterans moving into our district. We conduct regular checkins where we sit down and ask, “How can we support you?” Using Pages to create digital books to document the position, responsibilities, accomplishments, goals and vision could be incredibly helpful to a successor entering the district.
Promote Collaboration and Teamwork: Foster a collaborative environment where teamwork is valued and encouraged. Provide time in your schools’ schedules to encourage staff to work together, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. We have Professional Learning Community (PLC) time in every building! We also have scheduled 2-hour delays for students once a month so staff can get together, collaborate and level-up. When educators and leaders collaborate effectively, they can leverage each other's strengths to drive innovation and overcome challenges associated with staff turnover. Additionally, strong team dynamics can help build resilience and support continuity during times of transition.
The mindsets and practices outlined above illustrate how you can maintain innovation during times of staff turnover. These are tested practices and mindsets that have served us and others.
I believe schools need to look at staff turnover differently. These mindsets should be discussed by all and customized to fit your district.
Which of the mindsets and practices above spoke to you and the needs of your district? Choose one of the five practices above and begin to prepare your district now.
How are you maintaining innovation through staff turnover? Leave a comment below.
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Other Posts in the Leadership Conversations Series — Continuous Innovation
February 26, 2024
You are correct- staff turnover will never go away. Whether someone is retiring, moving, or just starting a new opportunity, staff turnover will always be a factor to consider in your school and district. Living in a rural community, we have had to be innovative in ways to attract potential staff. A strong presence on social media, along with word of mouth, have attracted those who believe in our mission and vision. When a person aligns well with the school's culture, they are so much more likely to stay with you for the long haul!
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