Faculty recruitment and retention are the lifeblood of a successful school. Yet many leadership teams struggle to diagnose the specific areas where their hiring processes or faculty support structures fall short. To address this gap, we’ve developed two targeted assessments: one for administrators and one for faculty members. Together, these tools provide a comprehensive picture of how well a school is attracting, retaining, and supporting its most vital asset—its teachers.
Why These Assessments Matter
The Recruitment & Retention Health Assessments—one aimed at administrative leadership and the other at faculty—are designed to reveal strengths, expose gaps, and uncover misalignments between leadership intentions and faculty experiences.
These assessments go beyond surface-level feedback by evaluating specific components of the recruitment and retention cycle, including:
- Clarity: Are expectations, roles, and the school’s mission clearly communicated?
- Sourcing & Attracting: How effective are recruitment strategies, and does the school stand out to prospective candidates?
- Vetting & Discerning: Are hiring decisions aligned with the school’s mission, culture, and long-term goals?
- Welcoming & Integrating: Do new hires feel supported and smoothly integrated into the school community?
- Supporting & Reviewing: How well does the school nurture faculty development, provide feedback, and recognize excellence?
- Commending & Removing: Are achievements recognized authentically? Are underperforming staff addressed in a fair, timely manner?
A Dual-Perspective Approach
The Administrator Version of the assessment focuses on institutional strategies and processes, allowing leaders to reflect on how well their systems align with the school’s mission and support faculty success. Questions dive deep into the clarity of hiring standards, the effectiveness of sourcing pipelines, and whether performance expectations are communicated and upheld.
The Faculty Version gathers insights directly from teachers, revealing whether their experiences match their leaders’ intentions. It captures valuable feedback on how well teachers feel supported, integrated, and recognized in their roles.
How School Leaders Can Use These Assessments
Identify Gaps and Misalignments
- Comparing the results from both surveys often reveals critical disconnects. For example, leaders may believe their onboarding process is comprehensive, but faculty feedback might indicate otherwise.
Refine Recruitment Strategies
- If questions about candidate sourcing and attracting reveal weak talent pipelines, leadership can prioritize partnerships with universities, educational networks, or community organizations aligned with the school’s mission.
Strengthen Retention Efforts
- Responses related to professional development, support systems, and commending practices help leaders understand what motivates faculty to stay—and what might drive them away.
Promote a Culture of Continuous Improvement
- Regularly using these assessments encourages an ongoing dialogue between leadership and faculty, fostering a culture of transparency, growth, and collaboration.
Make Data-Driven Decisions
- Instead of relying on anecdotal feedback, leaders can use survey data to make strategic changes, ensuring resources are allocated where they can make the greatest beneficial impact.
The Bottom Line: Faculty Flourishing Drives School Success
Healthy recruitment and retention practices are essential in creating a stable, motivated, and mission-aligned faculty body. These assessments provide a clear, actionable pathway for schools to refine their strategies, address weaknesses, and build a culture that robustly values and equips faculty.