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How Analytics Helps Streamline Your Registration Process

Chances are that your district has a student registration process that begins in January or early Spring and continues throughout the summer. Kindergarten, pre-k, and new family registration can be a hectic and time-consuming process for schools. It involves a lot of paperwork, data entry, and coordination with families to ensure that all the necessary information is collected, and the right resources are allocated. However, with the help of a location analytics tool, this process can be streamlined, making it easier for schools to plan accordingly from a resource and capacity standpoint.
 
[ctt template=”9″ link=”6Gn3c” via=”no” ]“It’s that time of year again! Kindergarten registration is now open in our district. Register your child today and give them a head start on their education journey.” #KindergartenRegistration #Education #StudentSuccess [/ctt]
 

Why is Kindergarten and early childhood Pre-Registration Important?

 
Kindergarten pre-registration is important because it helps schools plan for the upcoming school year. By collecting information about future students, schools can determine how many teachers they’ll need, how many classrooms they’ll need, and how much classroom space they’ll need. This information is essential for ensuring that schools have the resources they need to provide a high-quality education to all students. By beginning this process in early Spring, districts can refine their kindergarten registration estimates to inform budgets and staffing prior to the typical July 1 fiscal year start. Additionally, you can help new students acclimate to their building and feel comfortable and begin to get excited for school!
 
[ctt template=”9″ link=”6Gn3c” via=”no” ]“Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enroll your child in kindergarten for the upcoming school year. Our district has streamlined the registration process to make it quick and easy. Register today!” #EnrollInKindergarten #Education #FutureLeader [/ctt]
 

How Location Analytics Helps with Kindergarten Pre-Registration

 
A location analytics product can be an invaluable tool for schools during the registration process. With Frontline Location Analytics, schools can analyze demographic data to identify areas where there are likely to be a higher number of incoming kindergartners. Perhaps a new development, or an area that you can identify new families to your district.
 

“In this view, you can visualize population density and color-code different types of dwellings.”


 
This information can help schools allocate resources more effectively, ensuring that they have enough teachers, classrooms, and classroom space to meet the needs of all students.
 
Location Analytics can also be used to analyze transportation data, helping schools plan bus routes and schedules. By analyzing data about the locations of future kindergartners, schools can determine the most efficient bus routes and schedules, ensuring that all students can get to school on time.
 

“A view like this one can show transportation needs for special populations, too.”



 
Finally, Location Analytics can be used to analyze school capacity data. By analyzing data about the number of students currently enrolled and the capacity of each classroom, schools can determine whether they need to add additional classrooms or adjust class sizes to accommodate incoming kindergartners. Whether the district has stable, increasing, or declining enrollment, your district can analyze current student enrollment data to ensure your resources are being most effectively distributed.
 

Tip: When you’re gearing up for registration, make use of all your communication channels. Here’s an example of a tweet you might post.
 
[ctt template=”9″ link=”6Gn3c” via=”no” ]“Kindergarten registration is now open! Give your child the gift of education and enroll them in our district’s kindergarten program. We can’t wait to help your child grow and thrive.” #KindergartenEnrollment #Education #StudentSuccess [/ctt]
 
District registration is an essential process for schools that helps to plan for the upcoming school year. By using Location Analytics to analyze demographic data, transportation routes , and school capacity information, schools can streamline the pre-registration process and ensure that they have the resources they need to provide a high-quality education to all students. With the help of Location Analytics, schools can make informed decisions that benefit both students and staff.
 

“There are other ways to color code by school building or by any identifier that you want to feed into Location Analytics from your SIS….You can see transfer status, special education status, and gifted status. You can color code and filter and sort by any of these. One of the amazing things here in Location Analytics is as I’m drawing new boundaries, that stats panel on the left-hand side is updating basically in real-time. There’s no more, ‘Let’s tweak a line, run a report, compare it to a prior report’ — you have it all at your fingertips as you’re doing this work.”

Drew Schenk, Interim Director of Operations, School District of Lancaster

 

Talk Data to Me: Trends in Absence Management and Substitute Pools

Troubled by substitute shortages and low fill rates? You’re not alone. These are challenges faced by many districts, and for good reason. Substitute management is no walk in the park: a lot of different elements go into maintaining and managing a healthy substitute pool.
 
To overcome the challenges associated with the substitute shortage, districts should dive into the story their data tells. Do you have a view of absence trends over time? What’s the depth of your substitute pool? How does absence lead time affect your fill rate? With visibility into the right absence and substitute trends, districts can gain a deeper understanding of their substitute program, and take actionable steps to ensure that every classroom is filled with a qualified sub.
 
In this installment of Talk Data to Me, we’ll be talking about trends in absence management data and substitute pools.
 

 

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National Trends in Staff Absences

 
The following chart displays the number of absences per organization (year over year) since 2020. The dark blue line is 2020 and the first two months were pre-COVID shutdowns.
 

 

What does the data say?

  • The average district in the country was creating about 600 absences per month.
  • Immediately following the COVID lockdowns in March, that number plummeted to almost zero per month
  • In the fall of 2020, the number started to climb up to about 350 per month and continued upwards through the spring of 2021, where it eclipsed 400 absences per month.
  • The metric returns to a pre-COVID normal of about 600 absences per month in October of 2021 and that’s where we still sit today so far in 2023.

The takeaway As far as the number of absences are concerned, we are at pre-COVID levels. No more, no less.
 

National Trends in Fill Rate

 
As some districts may be experiencing, not as many of these absences are being filled by substitutes. Let’s take a look at what fill rate has looked like over the last few years. Keep in mind the dark blue line (the first two months of 2022) is a reference point.
 

 

What does the data say?

  • Absence fill rate actually increased in April of 2020 but then plummeted.
  • Fill rate hovered around 20% below the reference line for the 2021 school year and the 2021-2022 school year was even lower.
  • For the 2022-2023 school year, fill rate is up to around 15% below the reference line.
  • Fill rate still appears to be climbing and is currently around 10% below the reference line. But that’s still a far cry from our pre-COVID level fill rates.

The takeaway Absence numbers are back to normal, but absence fill rate numbers are not.
 

National Trends in Substitute Pool Size

 
Why aren’t absence fill rate numbers back to normal? What’s behind this data? Let’s check out some substitute teacher metrics to paint the story. The following chart is the number of substitutes available to work in our system.
 

 

What does the data say?

  • Before the pandemic, we were just about at 1.4 million substitute teachers.
  • In late 2020, the number dropped to about 1.1 million before it started to steadily rise again.
  • In 2021, it averaged about 1.2 million and it almost eclipsed 1.3 million in 2022.
  • Earlier this year, it reached 1.35 million.

The takeaway The available substitute teacher pool is now the same size as it was before the pandemic.
 

National Trends in the % of Working Substitutes

 
While absence numbers are back to normal, fill rates are still down, but we have the same number of available substitutes. So how are fill rates down? Well, it’s because the number of substitutes that are available are not working at the same rate that they used to. This chart shows the proportion of available subs that actually worked at least one absence in each month over time.
 

 

What does the data say?

  • Prior to the pandemic, about 40% of available substitutes filled at least one absence per month.
  • This metric has jumped all over the place in the last few years, but it hardly jumped over 30% in any given month, which is about where we currently sit.

The takeaway Absence numbers are back to pre-COVID levels, but less of them are being filled by substitutes. The number of available subs is back to pre-COVID levels, but a smaller proportion of them are working.
 

Trends in District-specific Fill Rates

 
Sometimes it’s hard to use data to take action in your district if you don’t know your own unique data. Not all districts are the same and not all data trends are the same. Let’s look at the fill rate trends in districts across the country. Below is a histogram of the number of districts nationwide by their current year substitute fill rate.
 

 

What does the data say?

  • Most districts have fill rates between 60 and 90%
  • Some districts have fill rates lower than that. Others have fill rates even higher.

The takeaway To fully understand your district’s data trends, it’s critical to access and analyze your district’s data specifically so that your data driven insights and action plans are tailored to your specific needs.
 

Ready to dive into your district’s absence and substitute data?


Understand your district’s staff absences with Human Capital Analytics 

Recommended Resources:
 
Clocking Out of Timecard Misery: How Grayson County Public Schools found a better way to keep track of employee time, avoid errors, and confidently reclaim time for administrators, teachers, and staff.
 
How to Solve Shortages and Increase Substitute Effectiveness: Why do so many schools struggle to maintain effective substitute programs? Why do low fill rates and substitute shortages plague administrators across the country?
 
Accessing the Health of Substitute Teacher Pools by State: Many different factors can impact the size of a district’s active sub pool, including locality and the effort and focus that organizations put into attracting substitutes.
 
The Substitute Teacher Shortage: If there was one singular cause for the lack of substitute teachers, it would be simple to come up with a one-size-fits-all solution. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. So, what’s behind the shortage?
 

Make the Most of Your End-of-Year ELL Data

Ask the right questions and your data will reveal the answers

A big part of using ELL data to plan for the next school year involves knowing which questions to ask — and when to ask them. What questions should you and your team consider as you close out this year and prepare for the future?
 
The answers to these questions can help you hit the ground running next year.

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End-of-Year ELL Planning Guide: Harness the Data You’ve Collected to Plan for Success Next Year

 

The End of the Year

It may be helpful to think about…

  • Starting a preemptive internal review process in your organization to determine if you have all of the data needed for end-of-year meetings
  • How many emergent bilingual students exited this year? What implications does this have for next year?
  • How did your emergent bilingual population grow this year? Compare this year’s enrollment data to data from the past few years.
  • Based on enrollment changes, does your staff need any program-based training (ie. Sheltered instruction)?

[ctt template=”9″ link=”6Gn3c” via=”no” ]“Your enrollment data has a story to tell about your emergent bilingual population. But that’s only half the battle; you’ll need to know how to action your takeaways, too. ” #k12enrollment[/ctt]

  • What home and student languages are the most common in your school or district
  • When were compliance documents submitted this past year? Was student data readily accessible? Do you have room for improvement to ensure staff members aren’t spending time chasing down information?

 

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3 Benefits of Restorative Dialogue for English Learners
In an episode of our Field Trip podcast, we talked with Grace Delgado, the Director of Language Acquisition, and Lorin Furlow, the Director of Special Services, of Brazosport Independent School District near Houston, Texas. Grace and Lorin have developed and incorporated restorative practices with ELL classroom tools in a way that is making a profound difference in their school district.
Check It Out

 

Before Next School Year Starts

Set your team up for success…

  • Create a checklist for all your compliance documents for each student in your program. Upload the checklist to common digital system and share it with your team.
  • Tip: If you have a software system to manage your EL program, this will be much easier.
  • Use last year’s EL member training roster as a jumping off point to plan this year’s training approach.
  • Did your team experience any challenges during the first 20 days of the previous school year? For example, were you able to send permission forms to parents in a timely fashion? Were they returned in a timely fashion? Is there a way to proactively address challenges before the school year starts?
  • Pair new committee members with expert members to help with training Q&A.

 

The First Day of School

If you use last year’s data to plan, your team can start the year off strong!

School Nurse Shortage: How to Recruit and Retain these Integral School Staff Members

Historically, the school nurse shortage has received less attention than the teacher shortage, yet nurses are an integral part of any educational organization — especially given that 1 in 4 students have chronic illnesses such as asthma or diabetes.

A shortage of school nurses means that schools may have to ask staff without medical training to dispense students’ medication, manage allergies and asthma, monitor blood glucose levels, and handle medical emergencies. And although educators are trained in CPR and first aid, there simply is no substitute for an experienced, trained medical professional in case of an emergency.

Studies suggest that schools with a full-time RN on staff see a host of benefits:

  • Fewer student absences and thus increased funding
  • More time spent in class because non-medical staff are more likely to send students home
  • More accurate medical records
  • Increased immunization rates
  • Fewer student pregnancies
  • Better health outcomes for students with asthma or diabetes

There’s no question that they play a crucial role, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Association of School Nurses (NASN) both recommend having at least one registered nurse (RN) in every school. Additionally, NASN recommends a ratio of one nurse for every 750 students in the general population and a ratio of 1:225 for student populations requiring daily professional nursing.

But are school districts meeting these standards, or are they falling short?

The Assessment: School Nurses by the Numbers

There are currently no federal laws regulating school nurse staffing, and the subject is not tracked on a national level by the Department of Education. But between government data and peer-reviewed studies, we do know that overall, schools are not meeting the recommendations outlined above.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 84,200 RNs are employed as school nurses: enough to staff just 64% of schools with a full-time nurse. However, many nurses are responsible for covering multiple schools, or they work part-time. As a result, only 40% of schools have a full-time registered nurse on staff. 35% have a part-time RN, and the remaining 25% do not employ one at all.

Schools Staffed by a Full-Time RN

As is often the case with topics in K-12, national statistics on school nursing don’t fully portray the many variables between different schools.

For example:

  • Classification: 84% of traditional public schools employ full- or part-time nurses, compared to 52% of charter schools and 35% of private schools.
  • Setting: Rural schools are more likely to lack nursing support than those located in cities, towns, or suburbs.
  • Percent of K-12 students approved for free or reduced-price lunch: The higher this percentage, the less likely it is that a school will have nursing support.
  • Geography: West Coast and Midwestern states have the most schools without nursing support. Schools in the South are more likely to have an LPN, rather than an RN, as the only nurse in a school.

Challenges for Recruitment and Retention (& What You Can Do About It)

Some schools do have difficulty recruiting nurses and struggle to find qualified applicants. After all, there is a national nursing shortage, so school districts find themselves competing against healthcare facilities for the same pool of applicants. And while being a school nurse has definite benefits in terms of having holidays and weekends off, as well as regular breaks, there are some pitfalls.

Registered nurses working in schools make significantly less than their counterparts in other industries. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), school nurses earn a median annual wage of $58,530 versus $75,030 for their peers employed by hospitals.

However, the BLS calculates annual wages by multiplying workers’ hourly rate by 2080 — the number of hours worked in a year by someone who works forty-hour weeks every week. As school nurses generally do not work year-round, and their peers in other industries often earn a great deal of overtime, this income gap is likely much wider in reality.

“An electronic health records system won’t automatically find and hire additional school nurses for you, but it might be the difference between your district and a neighboring one for the nurse who is looking for the perfect fit.”

Compounding the problem, high turnover exacerbates any staffing shortage, and school nurses suffer from high rates of job dissatisfaction. School nurses also report high levels of stress and burnout, especially when responsible for extremely high caseloads — sometimes including thousands of students. Finally, the majority of school nurses cover more than one school, which can contribute to a sense of being stretched thin or guilt for not being present at a specific school when a student needs help.

If your district uses your SIS health module in place of an electronic health records system, you might be sending a message to potential candidates that you don’t intend to. Nursing is already a specialized field, and school nursing takes that specialty a step further, especially when you take into account the challenges students face today.

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School nurses help students navigate chronic and acute health challenges, and mere moments later may assist a student battling depression or anxiety. They are often on the front lines of children’s health care for those who may not have the resources to see a doctor regularly.

An electronic health records system won’t automatically find and hire new school nurses for you, but it might be the difference between your district and a neighboring one for the nurse who is looking for the perfect fit. And it makes nurses’ work lives infinitely easier, helping to reduce burnout and aid with retention.

How Funding Factors In

Until data shows that job postings for school nurses are going unfilled, it may be that the bigger challenge is in funding school nurses, not finding them. Cost is the most-cited reason why a school does not have a school nurse on staff, followed by the school’s size. Arguably, school size is directly related to cost: when budgets are tight, it’s harder to justify hiring a full-time nurse for a school with 50 students than one with 500. And while there is an ethical argument that every student should have access to a qualified nurse to care for their health problems, there just might not be funding to hire a full-time nurse for every school. It’s a horrible reality that school and district leaders need to weigh the risk that a student might have a severe medical emergency against a budget.

Financial struggles are not a new challenge for education organizations, which have been consistently underfunded and asked to do more with less, over and over again. The majority of school nursing is funded by local education dollars — which no doubt contributes to inequity in access to school nursing — although there is also some support from state governments and departments of health.

Treating the School Nurse Shortage

Every school and district leader, every educator and every administrator, is doing their best to ensure that students’ well-being is addressed to the greatest extent possible. While it is best practice to have a full-time RN in every school and enough staff to ensure a manageable ratio of nurses to students, it’s also important to consider what can be done when hiring the recommended number of RNs is not yet feasible.

For example, schools may want to focus on decreasing nurse turnover. While a raise may not be in the cards, there are ways to increase job satisfaction. For example, it may help to implement more streamlined processes and systems that save school nurses time and free them from administrative work. They may also wish to take a greater role in health education. Offering them more opportunities for hands-on education has the added benefit of helping students and the community become healthier overall.

Another option for some schools is to evaluate different staffing models. For example, in states that do not require school nurses to be registered nurses, some schools have taken to hiring licensed practical nurses (LPNs). At this time, there are 27,530 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) employed as school nurses.

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As they have a more limited scope of expertise and less training than RNs, who complete an intense four years of nursing school, LPNs command lower wages. While a small number of schools do employ an LPN as the sole nurse, there is truly no substitute for the training and expertise of an RN. However, it is worth considering a staffing model where LPNs are responsible for lower skilled tasks, freeing up the RN to handle higher priority work. For large schools, this may be a more cost-effective route than hiring only registered nurses.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”6Gn3c” via=”no” ]“When it comes down to it, the only way to meet school nurse staffing standards on a national level is to solve the funding crisis” #SchoolNurseShortage [/ctt]

When it comes down to it, the only way to meet school nurse staffing standards on a national level is to solve the funding crisis. In recent years, some states have introduced legislation and grants to fund more school nurses, and hopefully these initiatives increase in scope and are passed in other states as well.

Also, the Free Care Act is expanding Medicaid billing in schools to include nursing services beyond students with IEPs, which presents another revenue opportunity for schools.

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Education leaders can (and should) get creative in stretching funds to provide the best health services possible for students, but the only real cure is long-term dedicated funding for supporting our school nurses.

What’s left in the Tank: Budget Quiz

As a school district finance leader, managing your budget can be a complex and daunting task. However, it’s essential to ensure that your district’s resources are allocated effectively to provide the best possible education for your students.
 
That’s why we’ve created a simple and informative quiz to help you assess the health of your current year budget.
With this 10 question quiz, you’ll gain valuable insights into your district’s budget, including what’s left in the budget, what changes may be necessary for the upcoming year, and key considerations for the end of the fiscal year.
 
You’ll also be able to identify areas where your budget may need adjustments to ensure that your district is on track to meet its financial goals for this year and the years to come.
 
We understand the importance of effectively managing your budget and want to provide you with the tools to do so.
 
Take this quiz today and gain valuable insights into your district’s finances!
 
PS – This quiz assumes a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year, but is applicable for other fiscal years as well.
 


 
Learn more about how Frontline Education and Budget and Finance Analytics can support your district here
 

11 Questions (& Answers) All About Section 504

In a recent webinar with Dave Richards and Jose Martín, they answered audience questions about Section 504.

Turns out, everyone has a lot of questions about Section 504.

Below you’ll find a few questions that came up from the audience during the webinar. Tune in to the on demand version to hear directly from Dave and Jose as they answer even more questions about this important legislation.

1.  “The question that always comes up in our district is diagnosis. We have a student who cannot concentrate, gets in trouble due to socialization in class but we don’t have a diagnosis. Can we say that it appears that the student has ADHD?”

  • Answer: A 504 committee has to substantiate its findings of impairment based on various sources of data, but the data sources do not have to include a private clinical diagnosis. If, however, there are various data sources indicating atypical impulsivity, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, then a committee can make a determination of ADHD, which is not a diagnosis, but an educational determination.

2. “What about a medical disability? Anxiety? Can a team determine this disability through data?”

  • Answer: ADHD is primarily diagnosed, even in the medical field, through symptomatology. Physical medical conditions or more complex mental conditions like anxiety or bipolar disorder are more difficult to ascertain with mere informal data. Thus, if those conditions are suspected, schools may need to either pay for a medical evaluation or refer the child to IDEA.

3. “If ADHD doesn’t need a medical source to be used to establish the eligibility for 504 Plan, how is this not a suspected disability?”

Answer:The suspicion of disability is required to trigger the school’s responsibility to offer an evaluation under Section 504 (if the school also suspects that the student needs services because of the disability). The committee can determine that the student has ADHD on the basis of data from a variety of sources, which may include medical data (but is not required to include medical data).

4. “Schools are not supposed to diagnose, so how do you document the disability if there is not an ADHD diagnosis. Can the school record ‘data shows significant attention concerns’? How is this different than disability vs. difficulty?”

  • Answer: In the Office for Civil Rights’ ADHD Resource Guide, there is reference to the school’s finding of disability without a medical diagnosis as a “determination” not as a diagnosis. We refer to it in the forms as an “educational determination.”

5. “If a student is unable to pass any of the 5 end-of-course assessments (EOCs), is that a good reason to refer for an full individual evaluation to Special Education?”

  • Answer: It can be if the school suspects that the student has an impairment that fits one of the disability categories under IDEA and believes that the student needs specially designed instruction. Failure to pass EOCs by itself is a single source of data. I’d also be interested in knowing how the student is performing in the subject matter in class.

6. “I was told counselor cannot be written in the 504 Plan because all students have access to the counselor. Is that true?”

  • Answer: Even if counseling is normally provided to all students as needed, if a student with a Section 504 Plan needs it, it must be set forth in the plan so that the provision of service is accorded the force of federal law. Otherwise, the student may or may not get it, and parents cannot enforce its provision.

7. “How should we address chronic absenteeism in students with a 504 Plan? How do expectations change in regard to truancy or do they? Many times, it is difficult to separate absences related to the disability and absences that are not. Can you still require the student to follow attendance procedures for excusal of absences?”

  • Answer: If a student’s disability is known to impact attendance, it may be discriminatory to penalize the student under truancy or attendance policies. Accommodations and services in 504 Plans can assist students with disability-related attendance issues (e.g., counseling, BIP, working with parents). If it appears difficult to determine if the absences are disability-related or 504 is not working, an IDEA referral may be needed.

8. “Would toy guns fall under weapon exclusion?”

  • Answer: It can be if the school suspects that the student has an impairment that fits one of the disability categories under IDEA and believes that the student needs specially designed instruction. Failure to pass EOCs by itself is a single source of data. I’d also be interested in knowing how the student is performing in the subject matter in class.

9. “For manifestation determination review (MDR) when you speak of Procedural Safeguards provided to the parent, are you referring to Procedural Safeguards explaining rights under IDEA or does 504 have Procedural Safeguards?”

  • Answer: Section 504 procedural safeguards, which are more limited than IDEA rights. See 34 CFR 104.36.

10. “If we do yearly meetings and go over the plan with the parents and teachers, do we still need to do an evaluation every three years?”

  • Answer: No. Those yearly meetings usually review current grades, statewide assessment scores, teacher observations, behavior records, and parent input, if not more. Thus, this is a review of various sources of data which is really a Section 504 reevaluation. Since you are doing these annually, you will never have to do a 3-year re-eval.

11. “Can students with Section 504 Plans be placed in special education classes (ie. study skills in high school taught by a special education teacher)?”

  • Answer: Not if the special education teacher is special education funded and only special education kids participate in the class. That would be use of IDEA funds for non-IDEA students.

If you want to dive deeper and learn how Frontline can help your district navigate Section 504, check this out –>

Webinar Takeaways: EdTech Innovations that Retain Top Talent

With tightening teacher pipelines and higher rates of attrition, how can K-12 leaders utilize modern technology to help overcome the challenges associated with the teacher shortage?
 
Frontline recently joined industry experts from interviewstream and Wagestream to discuss ground-breaking innovations in education technology, and how districts can leverage these tools to advance their immediate and long-term goals to recruit, grow, and retain highly qualified educators.
 

Webinar Speakers

  • Monique Mahler
    CEO, interviewstream
  • Joey Vasser
    Client Success Account Manager, interviewstream
  • Portman Wills
    Co-Founder, Wagestream
  • Kevin Agnello
    Sr. Data Analytics Engineer, Frontline Education
  • Nichelle Smith
    Leader of HCM Product Marketing, Frontline Education

 

A better way to hire

 

Frontline Recruiting & Hiring + interviewstream

Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding are all steps you take to bring the best talent into your district. They’re critically important, but also time consuming! Tasks like filtering through applications or managing interviews can quickly add up… and paper only further complicate things. Not only can that mean lost time for more strategic work, but it can also even mean losing out on great candidates.
 
In order to avoid getting bogged down by manual processes and to ensure the entire hiring process is smooth-sailing, districts can utilize modern recruiting tools like on-demand interviews. In this webinar, interviewstream discusses various ways these asynchronous, self-paced styled interviews can help K-12 HR proactively engage with candidates on their own time (and get to hiring that much faster).
 

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Recruiting the 21st Century Teacher

 

What are the benefits of on-demand interviews for K-12?

On-demand interviews and other recruiting tools can help K-12 HR teams optimize and streamline the entire recruiting process! Districts can expand their geographical reach to attract even more candidates, provide a more candidate-friendly interviewing experience, and make better hiring decisions to fill open positions with qualified talent.
 

  • Increase flexibility for candidates: Candidates can interview anytime and anywhere (and they can even rerecord the video if they didn’t get it right the first time).
  • Empower your HR team: Automate interview scheduling, rewatch live interviews to rate candidates, and score interviews in real time.
  • Maximize your schedule: Get time back from scheduling interviews, handling manual candidate information, and rallying your HR team together to perform assessments.

 

“Leveraging solutions from Recruiting & Hiring and interviewstream enabled us to expand our candidate pool, offer every candidate a screening interview and move candidates through the hiring cycle process efficiently, so we can quickly fill open positions with qualified candidates allowing us to continue to fulfill our mission.”

Julie Tobin, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources at Community School District 93.

 
Myth: On-demand interviews won’t get responded to.
 
Fact: It’s actually on the contrary! Monique shared that “70% of candidates respond to an on-demand interview in just four days and 93% have completed within a week.”
 

How can you leverage this tech beyond recruiting?

The benefits don’t just stop at getting great candidates in the door. Districts can leverage on-demand videos to continually engage their staff to help boost retention rates. Whether it’s supporting teacher collaboration and mentoring or providing flexible professional development opportunities, this tool has the power to transform the entire learning experience! Here are a few additional ideas discussed in the webinar.
 

“You can use these interviews in unique ways you wouldn’t expect like teacher evaluations or curriculum planning.”

Monique Mahler

 

“There are other ways to utilize video interviews…like end of the year teacher awards and teacher feedback. It’s an easy way to engage your current staff which is such an important part of the retention process.”

Joey Vasser

 
Hear from interviewstream:

 

Related Resource:

Looking for other ways to leverage video tech in your district?
Check out 3 Ways Technology Can Help Overcome the Teacher Shortage

 

Flexible access to pay

 

Frontline Absence & Time + Wagestream

If you’re trying to increase the size of your substitute pool, chances are it’s because you’re struggling to find people to come in and cover absences. But the real problem may not be the size of your pool — it could be a fill rate issue, the unpredictability of teacher absences, or even the financial uncertainty that comes with the job.
 
In many districts, substitutes typically don’t have access to their earned wages until the next pay cycle. But the truth is, some individuals may not have the financial flexibility to wait for that paycheck. This can make it challenging for subs to manage finances, pay bills on time, or handle unexpected expenses.
 
What’s an easy way to remove that financial barrier to entry for substitutes in your district? One idea is to offer flexible access to their wages when they want it (as they earn it)! As inflation and rising interest rates continue to affect many people, control over one’s pay provides a genuine financial wellbeing benefit.
 
In the webinar, Wagestream discusses how to give substitutes in your district control over their pay to foster financial wellbeing and minimize stress.
 

“Offering flexible pay really helps with the vast majority of financial challenges. Whether it’s an unexpected expense or matching your incomings and outgoings, it has a wonderful impact for the worker.”

Portman Wills

 

Why is flexible pay important in K-12?

Bringing innovation like flexible access to pay into your district pay can incentivize substitutes to take more jobs and help support your efforts to being recognized as a destination district.

  • Improve substitute fill rates
  • Bring better financial control to your substitutes
  • Foster financial wellbeing and minimize stress

 

“The substitutes you are hiring, training, and working with…they are often working in other industries as well. A recent survey we conducted revealed that 86% of substitutes hold a second job and 55% hold three or more. The top three most frequent sources of income for these subs are McDonalds, Target, and Uber. They all offer flexible pay. With this tech, we can level the playing field for school districts.”

Portman Wills

 

Flex-pay fast facts!

According to a recent Wagestream survey:
Job vacancies are filled 27% faster Stress levels are improved by 75% Hours worked by subs increased by 22%
 
Hear from Wagestream:

 

Handpicked content:

How to Solve Shortages and Increase Substitute Effectiveness

 
Ready to improve the candidate experience with on demand interviews? Learn more
 
Ready to help attract and retain substitutes in your district with flexible access to pay? Learn more
 

8 KPIs Every School Business Official Should Track

School business is complex, with intricacies that affect revenue, compliance, and ultimately, student learning. As schools navigate all kinds of uncertainty (COVID! Inflation! Property values! Changing demographics! Government regulation!), it’s critically important to gauge where your district has been, and where it’s going in the future.

While there may be scores of key performance indicators (KPIs) that should inform a school district’s financial strategy, there are eight that are worth special attention, according to Derick Sibley. Derick is the Director of Finance and Accounting at Pleasant Grove ISD in Texarkana, TX. He has spent 19 years in public education, and 14 of those years in school business.

“If you don’t know where you’ve been, you don’t know where you’re going, and KPIs really paint that picture for you, to help you understand your district and how your district is performing. Are you heading in the right direction? Are you trending toward any kind of financial risk?”

Derick Sibley, Director of Finance and Accounting, Pleasant Grove ISD

Pleasant Grove ISD at a Glance:

Enrollment: 2300+

Employees: 265

Facilities: 4 campuses

KPIs to Track

Derick highlights the importance of monitoring trends in these KPIs — not just one-time snapshots. “If you don’t know your data, if you don’t know your trends, how are you going to know when you start to fall away from those?”

He says doing so is a good way to benchmark how you perform against peer districts. Because the data is public, and many states use them as part of their accountability standards or ratings, they may provide an opportunity to reach out to a neighboring district that is performing better on a certain KPI to ask what they’re doing to achieve certain results.

Here are the eight KPIs that Derick suggests are especially worth your attention.

8 KPIs to Track

  • Student Enrollment
  • Student-to-Teacher Ratio
  • Administrative Cost Ratio
  • Fund Balance to Expenditure/Revenue Ratio
  • Days of Cash on Hand
  • Expenditure-to-Revenue Ratio
  • Surplus/Deficit-to-Revenue/Expense Ratio
  • Debt Burden Ratio

Student Enrollment

Because student enrollment is tied to state funding and has a financial impact, it’s one of the simplest and most important numbers to watch. Understanding past as well as current enrollment can help you put together a 3–5-year financial forecast. Derick said, “When I start doing my five-year forecast, the first thing I look at is, ‘What is our enrollment? What is the average change in enrollment? What is the trend that I’m seeing?”

Derick suggests not just looking at overall enrollment, but also special student populations such as special education, career and technical education, and the portion of your student body that is economically disadvantaged. Since the beginning of the pandemic, enrollment has fluctuated for many districts, and subpopulations shifted as well. Tracking these numbers can help you determine program funding levels and staffing.

Student-to-Teacher Ratio

Student-to-teacher ratio is simply the number of enrolled students divided by teacher full-time employees (FTEs).

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You should also track the percentage change in student enrollment as it relates to the percentage change in employed teacher FTEs.

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It’s often helpful to choose a base year (5 or 10 years prior, for example), and monitor what is the percentage change student enrollment since that year, as well as the percentage change in certified staff since that year. Is there a difference between these two percentages? This can help you start to identify trends.

Ideally, you’ll see a steady and consistent trend. If you notice that the percentage change in teacher FTEs is increasing faster than your percentage change in student enrollment, that’s a warning sign (sometimes called “hitting the wall”) and could indicate that you’re headed toward financial trouble.

The ideal student-to-teacher ratio depends on district size. Large districts can often leverage economies of scale more than small districts, and a district with 20,000 students can likely be more efficient with administrative costs than a smaller district can.

One helpful way to tell how you’re doing is to compare your results to those of like districts across your state. Derick uses Frontline’s Comparative Analytics to see the average student-to-teacher ratio across his state, as well as across districts of different sizes, and in his local economy. This helps the district make decisions about class sizes and how competitive they should be with teacher salaries as they compete for talent with other local districts.

Listen to the Podcast!

Hear Derick Sibley and Frontline Senior Analytics Advisor Travis Zander discuss these KPIs on the Field Trip Podcast.

 

Administrative Cost Ratio

How much your district spends on administrative costs (principals, assistant principals, central administration, superintendents, assistant superintendents, the academic office, the business office, etc.) versus instructional costs (teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians, etc.) is another important KPI. Derick said it’s important not only to monitor this number, but also to use it to thoughtfully communicate with your community.

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Because community members feel strongly that district funds should be used efficiently to impact instruction, showing that the cost ratio is consistent over time can be helpful. Also be sure to communicate how you monitor administrative costs, and the reasons for those expenditures. Those offices are all important, and many people may not be aware of everything the district does to operate, such as monitoring grant compliance, running payroll, and keeping the lights on.

Fund Balance to Expenditure/Revenue Ratio

This figure shows you how financially healthy your district is. The calculation is simple: take your end-of-year fund balance and divide it by your expenditures or revenue — what is the percentage?

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>=25% – Low Risk; 0%-25% – Moderate Risk; <0% - High Risk
* Targets established by school district policy
Generally, aim to have at least 25% of your operating expenses on hand. “That helps me know on any given year that if the money flow stopped completely, I would have at least 25% of my expenditures covered in my fund balance,” said Derick.

Failing to monitor this ratio can lead to financial trouble as well. But be sure to look at your local governance and understand any local policies, as some may impact the amount of fund balance you are allowed to keep on hand.

Days of Cash on Hand

How long could you continue to operate if no additional revenue was received?

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Would you have enough liquidity to make payroll until funds once again come into the district? This is especially important since funds don’t always flow into the district in equal increments throughout the year. Derick said his district doesn’t bring in much money between December and April, so he must plan ahead to ensure they can cover operating expenses during those months. “I look at it every day, cash on hand. How much do we have for operational purposes? How much do we have that are investments? Do we need to move things around? It’s monitored on a daily basis.”

Expenditure-to-Revenue Ratio

This KPI is like that question every young adult setting up their first budget has to grapple with: “Are we living below our means?” For every dollar received, how much is spent?

The calculation is simple: divide operating expenses by revenues — then be sure to track the trend over time.

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Surplus/Deficit-to-Revenue/Expense Ratio

Did your district have a surplus of funds last year, or did you run a deficit? This KPI looks at it as a percentage of revenue or of expenditures.

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This is often more useful than looking at the dollar amounts, especially if your district is growing or declining in enrollment, as you track it over time. Are you consistently adding 2% of revenue to the fund balance, for example?

Tracking this number can help you set and monitor long-term goals. Is this ratio consistent year over year? If not, it could be a sign that you need to revise some of your budgeting practices. Are you being consistent with your long-range financial planning?

Debt Burden Ratio

Similar to expenditure-to-revenue ratio, this KPI looks at how much is spent in debt service for every dollar received. Derick said this is helpful for communicating in a clear, simple way how much of the district’s revenue is spent on servicing debt.

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How to Track Data Over Time

As Derick said, it’s critical to track these KPIs over time — not just look at them once. He looks at most of these KPIs on a monthly basis, and some on a daily basis. But while this is publicly available data, it’s not always easy to unearth, and it can be especially tedious to present the data visually in ways that bring it to life. In the past, this was time-consuming — digging up the data, going to multiple sources to find the figures he needed, and compiling it.

Now Derick uses Frontline Business Analytics, a system designed from the ground up to help school districts look at their financial data, create long-range financial plans, manage budgets, and compare data to other districts, either nearby or across the state, or with similar demographics.

“One of the best tools I believe is out there is the financial forecast I get out of Frontline Analytics. That is the basis of the conversation that I have with my superintendent every month. We look at the forecast that is put together in those financial reports, and so that gives us some idea when we start trying to make decisions about anything. ‘What does it look like? What does that forecast look like?’ … It takes your historical information, allows you to take a look at it, gives you a forecast based on what has actually happened in the past. What does that data allow us to do? It helps us to make better decisions.”

Derick Sibley

Those forecasts are helpful when answering tricky questions: If we add staff, what happens to our finances in the long term? If we pay a one-time stipend, how does that impact our end-of-year financials? How do our KPIs compare to other districts? Are we going in the right direction?

“What gives me comfort,” Derick said, “is knowing that the data, the decisions we’re making, are all based on realistic numbers.”

Board Communication

When he presents his forecasts and plans to the board, Derick works very hard to be simple, transparent, and thorough. He wants it to be simple enough that even someone with no experience in school finance could understand what he’s saying. So he shows information in multiple ways — not just in charts and graphs, but also with a narrative. “We talk all the time about how in the classroom, there are different learning styles and students learn in different ways….It’s the same for our school board, and it’s the same for our community.”

Derick uses Frontline Business Analytics not just to analyze the data, but also to create board communications. He frequently uses the monthly financial reports in the system and prints them out to include in his board packet. “I tell people all the time, it makes me look really smart. It’s pretty hefty, it’s a lot of information. And it looks like I put a lot of time into it.”

He tries to anticipate the questions the board will ask and includes information that will answer those questions. “I take that information and put together my narrative that I want to give the board. And then on top of that, I summarize it all. I have a summary sheet that I show the board, and then back behind the summary sheet is all the detailed information that if they want to take a look at, they can.”

Advice for Tracking KPIs

We asked Derick what his single biggest piece of advice for other school business officials would be as they work to get their arms around their data.

“Prior to having Frontline Analytics, I spent lots of time putting data together, looking through state and local reports and everything else I could possibly get my hands on to find a trend or find out where we’ve been. And when Frontline Analytics came along, and I have that data in my hand, I can tell that story, I can get that information in an instant. And so I would recommend looking at the data and finding out where your district has been. Frontline Analytics is an amazing tool that’s available to school districts and it will help you tremendously, help you get off the ground in understanding where you’re at.”

RTI/MTSS and End of School Year: 7 Pillars to Reflect on Your Program, Recalibrate Your Approach, and Energize Your Staff

For schools implementing an RTI/MTSS model, the end of the school year can be an energizing and pivotal time. Leaders implementing RTI/MTSS have a big responsibility, to deploy the school’s full array of intervention resources to find and help struggling students. Therefore, this model requires periodic checkups to ensure schools align their current practices with RTI/MTSS best practices. The close of school offers staff an ideal time to accomplish this goal by tidying up loose ends in record-keeping, using data to improve classroom instruction, identifying gaps between its intended and actual service delivery, and looking forward to the next phase in its RTI/MTSS program roll-out.
 
As summer approaches, here are seven steps schools can take to firm up RTI/MTSS procedures, ensure they are carried out with integrity — and prepare for the coming year.
 

Best Practices for Closing Out This Year & Preparing for Next Year

 

1. Archive Your RTI/MTSS Information

Schools should give all staff who have responsibility for keeping track of RTI/MTSS information a deadline for completing their records for the current school year before the summer break. Having a district or school-wide RTI/MTSS program management system accessible to all stakeholders helps keep data organized and archived for future use. After the deadline, the school should spot-check student entries in the RTI/MTSS system to verify records are complete.
 
Did you know?
When asked what challenges they faced in implementing RTI/MTSS, 42% of K-12 survey respondents reported that their RTI/MTSS process wasn’t documented well or wasn’t followed consistently.
 

Suggested Content:

Annual School-Year RTI/MTSS Guide

 

2. Evaluate Effectiveness of Core Instruction

RTI/MTSS schools typically collect building-wide academic screening at fall, winter and spring checkpoints. These data-sets are invaluable, as they allow a school to judge the effectiveness of its core instruction and, when necessary, provide guidance to teachers on strengthening their instructional practices.
 
A rule of thumb is that classroom instruction across a school can be considered adequate if at least 80% of students meet or exceed a screener’s performance cut-points. The close of the school year is an ideal time for administrators to meet with grade-level teams to review screening data and brainstorm future instructional ideas to boost students’ collective academic performance.
 

Example:
If a grade-4 team discovers that 40% of its students routinely score below the expected cut-point on a reading-fluency screener, that team would generate ideas to promote increased fluency via instructional activities.

 

 

3. Analyze RTI/MTSS Data to Uncover Performance ‘Pockets’

As schools build a strong RTI/MTSS model, they collect troves of data monitoring student performance. If this data is reliably archived, schools can analyze it to identify pockets of student performance that either exceed or lag behind expectations.
 

Example:
A building might compare the relative outcomes of two Tier 2 reading groups using the same program to see if there are significant differences across instructors. Or a district might analyze the relative impact of several Tier 2 reading programs used in multiple schools to identify those with stronger versus weaker outcomes. Of course, this type of advanced RTI/MTSS ‘data mining’ requires a school or district first standardize its procedures. Standardizing processes will ensure data sources are valid and reliable, that interventionists collect data with frequency and rigor, and that student data is uniformly stored in electronic format for easy retrieval.

 

“Advanced RTI/MTSS ‘data mining’ requires a school or district first standardize its procedures.”

 

Suggested Content:

Your RTI & MTSS Data Analysis Team: Nerve Center of Tier 2 & 3 Services
Annual School-Year RTI/MTSS Guide

 

4. ‘Recalibrate’ Your RTI/MTSS Procedures

Every school that follows an RTI/MTSS model has its own procedures to identify students for services, document intervention plans, collect data, move students up and down the tiers of intervention, and so on. The end of the school year is an ideal time to review the school’s actual RTI/MTSS practices, identify any gaps in implementation, and ‘recalibrate’ to align those day-to-day practices with the expected RTI/MTSS procedures.
 

Example:
If the Tier 1 expectation at an elementary building is that teachers will employ weekly grade-level planning time to develop classroom intervention plans, that school can investigate actual practice to verify these teams are in fact using planning time for this purpose, examine sample intervention plans to ensure teachers include research-based intervention strategies, and check the RTI/MTSS data management system to certify classroom intervention plans are being entered electronically.

 
Data can help the school uncover discrepancies in procedures. It is an expectation, for example, that in a ‘typical’ school, 1-5% of students might be referred to the Tier 3 RTI/MTSS Problem-Solving Team in a given school year. If, as summer approaches, fully 10% of its students have been brought to Tier 3 during the current year, the school can follow up by reexamining its criteria for accepting a Tier 3 referral and the fidelity with which these criteria are being enforced.
 

5. Recruit Fall Groups Using End-of-Year Screeners

To identify students at academic risk, most schools screen the entire building population 3 times per year (fall/winter/spring). Those data are then used to recruit students whose risk profile indicates they require Tier 2/Tier 3 academic-intervention services. While fall screening data would appear to be the logical data source to recruit fall academic-intervention groups, it presents 2 limitations:

  1. Tier 2/3 interventionists cannot begin work with students until the school has conducted the fall screening and identified groups, resulting in several weeks of dead-time when at-risk learners are not receiving intervention services.
  2. In an effort to speed formation of fall intervention groups, the school may be tempted to screen immediately after the start of school. However, students often experience a ‘summer slide’ — a predictable and temporary drop in reading or math skills over the summer. For most students, the summer-slide effect disappears after 4-5 weeks of school. Therefore, districts that screen early — e.g. within the first 2-3 weeks of school — are likely to, ‘lock in’ temporary academic deficits and falsely identify at least some students for Tier 2/3 services whose skills would have rebounded on their own.

 

Suggested Content:

Not Just for Academics: Expanding RTI/MTSS to Provide Behavioral and Social-Emotional Support Click Here

 
A solution is to use the end-of-year (spring) academic screening results for 2 purposes:

  1. to enter or exit students for current spring Tier 2/3 services and also

  2. to identify fall Tier 2/3 intervention groups before the summer break.

This approach allows academic-intervention groups to meet immediately when school resumes in the fall and encourages the school to schedule the fall screening when student skills have fully recovered from the summer regression. Once fall screening data are collected, the school can update Tier 2/3 groups accordingly.
 

6. Update Your RTI/MTSS Roll-Out Plan

It can take 3 to 5 years for a school to fully implement the RTI/MTSS academic model. Buildings in the midst of rolling out RTI/MTSS will find the final months of the current school year offer a good vantage point from which to firm up plans for the next phase of implementation slated to start in the fall.
 
While advanced RTI/MTSS planning is always a good idea, some elements of RTI/MTSS require it.
 

Example:
Schools seeking to overhaul their system of Tier 2 (supplemental/small-group) interventions, may need to alter multiple elements: e.g. changing the schedule for those services, training Tier 2 providers to deliver new research-based intervention programs, revising academic-screener cut-points used to identify Tier 2-eligible students. Because each change will impact multiple staff, all changes need to be considered, finalized and communicated with relevant staff members well before actual implementation.

 

7. Prepare RTI/MTSS Professional Development

While schools often do a good job of planning and implementing a comprehensive RTI/MTSS plan, they sometimes overlook the need to provide ongoing professional development to prepare their staff to understand, accept, and work effectively within the plan.
 
As the school reflects at the close of the school year on the quality of its RTI/MTSS implementation and proposed next steps, the building should also consider what additional training teachers and support staff require to improve delivery of RTI/MTSS services. This professional-development plan should include both the essential RTI/MTSS content to be delivered to teachers and a training calendar extending into the coming school year with opportunities in large- and small-group settings.
 

Example:
A middle school might realize in the final months of school that their teachers are confused about how students access the various RTI/MTSS tiers of academic intervention. In response, the school creates a simple flowchart defining the RTI/MTSS components, describing how students gain access to each Tier of support, and outlining the responsibilities of each staff member to provide RTI/MTSS services. The school also develops a professional-development plan to present the flowchart, deciding to first share it at an early-fall faculty meeting and then follow up a month later with small-group discussions with instructional teams at each grade level.

 

“Use RTI/MTSS learnings from this year to structure a training calendar for next year, so staff will have access to opportunities to brush up on essential RTI/MTSS content.”

 

Concluding Thoughts

A key component of success in implementing an RTI/MTSS model is simply that schools pay attention to the details — verifying that RTI/MTSS records are complete and archived; closing gaps between current and best RTI/MTSS practices; looking forward to the next steps in the unfolding RTI/MTSS roll-out plan. The end of the school year is a strategic time for schools to focus their attention — make productive use of this pivotal moment between the recently elapsed and coming school years!
 

“Verify that RTI/MTSS records are complete and archived. Close gaps between current and best RTI/MTSS practices. Look forward to the next steps in the unfolding RTI/MTSS roll-out plan.”

 
Want to get a print-friendly version? Get the eBook here.
 

Talk Data to Me: The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage

The Frontline Research and Learning Institute recently published a research brief called “The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage”.

Following a basic supply and demand economic model, the analysis investigates the quantity of candidates applying for jobs (supply) as well as the availability of open positions (demand). Trends show changes to both sides of the equation over the past few years that are contributing to a labor shortage, however the decline in candidates is more pronounced than the increase in available jobs.

In this post, we’ll dive into updated numbers surrounding the teacher shortage as well as various strategies and tools districts can implement to quickly fill open positions.

The Teacher Shortage

The Frontline Research and Learning Institute recently published a research brief called “The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage”. Following a basic supply and demand economic model, the analysis investigates the quantity of candidates applying for jobs (supply) as well as the availability of open positions (demand). Trends show changes to both sides of the equation over the past few years that are contributing to a labor shortage, however the decline in candidates is more pronounced than the increase in available jobs.

  • The supply side
    The quantity of candidates applying to jobs and is measured as the average number of applications per teacher job posting.
  • The demand side
    The availability of open job postings and is measured as the average number of teacher job postings per district.
Suggested Content:

The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage Get the Full Research Brief

 

What is the state of the teacher shortage?

With a nationally representative data set of over 1,400 school districts from January 2019 to July 2022, the Frontline Research and Learning Institute reported that supply, rather than demand, is the primary contributor to the national teacher shortage.

In this post, we’ll go over the updated supply and demand metrics from a similar nationally representative sample of over 1000 school districts nationwide.

Check out the video now for the most recent numbers

What do the most recent numbers say?

The demand side

Below is a chart of the average number of new job postings per district each month over the past four years. It’s interesting to note that this metric hardly deviates from itself year over year (aside from a slight bump in the first half of 2022).

What does this mean? Districts that are hiring are seeking to fill approximately the same number of jobs than they typically do.

Chart 1

The supply side

Chart 2 shows the average number of applicants per job posting each month over the past four years. As you can see, this metric has decreased dramatically and steadily year over year.

Postings that went live in the last quarter of 2022 are seeing about 50% less applicants than postings that went live in the last quarter of 2019.

Chart 2

The main takeaway

Trends show changes to both sides of the equation over the past few years that are contributing to a labor shortage, however the decline in candidates is more pronounced than the increase in available jobs.

The conclusion the resulting shortage is primarily a result of fewer individuals looking to fill positions.

Your action items

It’s clear that many of today’s K-12 district leaders are finding themselves struggling to recruit and hire enough qualified teachers to meet school demands and serve students.

But you can take a deep breath… because there’s good news!

Up-to-date, data driven insights paired with the latest innovations in EdTech will prepare school leaders with the information and systems they need to attract and retain quality instructional staff to their district.

Check out these top tools designed specifically for K-12:

 

1. Human Capital Analytics

Get an advantage with data around open positions, applications received, and recruitment efforts and results.

Frontline Human Capital Analytics provides direct access and guided analysis so district administrators can easily explore interactive dashboards, quickly view key metrics, and arrive at data-backed insights to make stronger decisions for their organization.

With your Recruiting & Hiring data, you can:

  • Analyze open positions to identify patterns or areas of need
  • Explore trends in the applicants in your district attracts, and how they align with your DEI&B initiatives
  • Anticipate teacher and support staff shortages and communicate your district’s staffing story to key stake

 

Note: Human Capital Analytics can also help your district understand staff absences and help to refine and inform your professional development program!

Make more informed human capital decisions with data

 

2. K12JobSpot

Find top educators around the country.

With K12JobSpot, the top job board for K-12 job-seekers, over 1,000,000 teaching jobs have been filled (and growing)!

With your Recruiting & Hiring data, you can:

  • Advertise open positions more widely by easily sharing jobs on your district website, social media pages and more
  • Proactively reach out to qualified candidates with customized, automated recruitment campaigns
  • Search for candidates where you are or reach out to educators across the country who have shown an interest in relocating

Find top educators across the country

 

3. Recruiting & Hiring + interviewstream

Enhance the hiring experience and screen candidates faster

With this official partnership, you can proactively engage with jobseekers through on-demand virtual interviews.

  • Give candidates flexibility and control with virtual, interactive interviews on demand
  • Empower HR to automate interview scheduling, rewatch live interviews to rate candidates, and score interviews in real time
  • Get time back from scheduling interviews, handling manual candidate information, and rallying your HR team together to perform assessments

Maximize HR’s schedule

Ready to dodge the teacher shortage and get the right people working in your schools?
Check out these resources to get started:

  • Recruiting the 21st Century Teacher:
    Get the rundown of how K-12 HR departments can position themselves for success by diversifying their recruiting efforts.
  • 3 Ways Technology Can Help Overcome the Teacher Shortage:
    Facing a smaller pool of teacher candidates? Check out these top 3 ways technology can help your district overcome challenges associated with the teacher shortage.
  • Grow Your Own Teacher Programs:
    GYO programs develop and train future educators from within a school district’s very own classrooms by offering alternative pathways to teacher certification. The exact objective of GYO may vary per state, but these three goals remain consistent: combatting the teacher shortage, expanding the tightening pipeline of new teachers, and diversifying the pool of teacher candidates.
  • The Guide to Retention-focused Recruitment:
    Focusing on retention can help alleviate some of the struggles school districts have recently faced, like dwindling applicant pools and vacant positions that need to be quickly filled with highly qualified 21st century educators. Get this guide for the 4 steps you need for a retention-focused recruiting strategy.

 

10 Common Myths about School-based Medicaid for School Business Officials

As a school business official, you’re likely always looking for ways to maximize your school’s resources and ensure that all students receive the services they need — to do more with less.
 
When it comes to Medicaid claiming, there are many myths and misconceptions that can hinder your efforts to do just that. Read on for 10 common myths about Medicaid claiming plus the facts you need in order to make more informed decisions.
 

Myth 1: You have to be an expert in Medicaid to run a Medicaid program

Fact: No, but you do need a strong partnership between Accounting, Special Education, and a reliable vendor.
 
One of the key components of a successful Medicaid program is trust between all parties involved. By partnering with a vendor who has expertise in Medicaid, you can have 100% visibility into your program and have access to the data and reports you need to monitor your program.
 

Myth 2: Districts can only bill for services like speech and occupational therapy

Fact: Many services are reimbursable, including those provided by school nurses.
It’s important to partner with a vendor who understands the nuances of each state’s rules and regulations to ensure that you are billing for all eligible services, and staying compliant in the process. This is where the partnership between business, special education, and the vendor becomes especially critical.
 

Suggested Content:

Ask Me Anything: Medicaid Edition Hear From The Experts

 

Myth 3: Audit and cost reporting findings are inevitable

Fact: Although it may seem this way, there are steps you can take to prepare for your audits and cost reporting.
By working with a vendor who provides a comprehensive solution, you can gain greater control over your program and minimize the risk of negative findings.
 

Myth 4: Medicaid has been around forever and not much is changing

Fact: Okay, for some of you, this may seem obvious that Medicaid regulations are always changing. But for others, it may feel like once you’ve gotten the hang of things, the regulations become second nature.
 
Yet many states continue to explore Medicaid expansion, and the program remains flexible, allowing states to design their own programs and deliver health care services as they see fit.
By partnering with a vendor who stays up-to-date on changes and updates to the program, you can ensure that your school remains compliant and in compliance with regulations.
 

Myth 5: Medicaid caps mean that student care should be reserved for doctors and hospitals

Fact: Schools are now on the front lines of providing healthcare services to students in need.
 
By partnering with a vendor who provides comprehensive support, including a robust documentation program, you can ensure that your school is equipped to provide the best possible care for students.
 

Myth 6: Medicaid vendors only support interim claiming

Fact: A comprehensive vendor will provide full-service support, including a dedicated Medicaid Services Support Team and a comprehensive documentation program that enables progress monitoring and streamlines the process of documenting services.
 
This not only makes it easier to track services, but also helps ensure compliance and supports accurate cost reporting.
 

Suggested Content:

Vendor Transparency: Is it Time for a Change? Take The Quiz

 

Myth 7: Districts have to file their own state Medicaid reports (for example: SHARS in Texas)

Fact: With the right solution in place, you can validate IEP services, parental consent, and more, ensuring audit-proof compliance and minimizing the risk of negative findings.
 
A comprehensive solution also provides a dedicated Medicaid account manager to help you navigate the process and ensure compliance. Medicaid isn’t something you should have to do alone; your vendor should be there to help!
 

Myth 8: The special education department doesn’t benefit from claiming for Medicaid

Fact: There are no restrictions on how the funds generated through Medicaid reimbursement can be allocated, and the special education department can certainly benefit from the additional resources.
 
It’s important to work with a vendor who can help you understand the full benefits of the program and ensure that all parties are comfortable with the arrangement.
 

Myth 9: You should only use your Medicaid software to capture and document services for Medicaid eligible students

Fact: You should capture services for all students, regardless of their eligibility status, for compliance and to ensure that your program stays up to date with ever-changing eligibility requirements.
 
One of the biggest challenges schools face when it comes to Medicaid is two-fold: ensuring that they are capturing all of the services they need to while ensuring that all documentation of those services is conducted correctly.
 

Suggested Content:

Best Practices for Service Documentation Tips for Compliant Documentation & Claims

 
This can be especially tricky given the variability in eligibility from month to month. By capturing services for all students, schools can ensure that they are in compliance with all of the requirements set forth by Medicaid, while also avoiding any potential issues that may arise from audits and litigation.
 
A system that integrates service tracking and Medicaid billing is a great option to make sure you’re covering all your bases.
 

Myth 10: Medicaid is reactive in nature

Fact: Medicaid can be proactive in nature with the right collaboration.
One of the keys to maximizing your school’s Medicaid reimbursement is having a strong partnership in place with your vendor. A comprehensive, full-service vendor that provides support for Medicaid services can be your best asset when it comes to staying ahead of the game. With their expertise in the program, your vendor can provide you with the security you need in forecasting revenue, as well as expected reimbursement.
 
By debunking these myths and understanding the facts, you can be confident in your ability to run a successful Medicaid program for your school. By establishing a strong partnership with a vendor that provides comprehensive support, you can take a proactive approach to maximizing your school’s Medicaid reimbursement.
 
Frontline can help you with Medicaid audit protection, service scheduling, and so much more. See the system in action now.

5 Tips for Looking Ahead to Next Year’s Professional Development Program

At various times throughout the year, it’s helpful to reflect as central office professional learning leaders and in teams with your coaches, specialists, principals and teacher leaders. Why? Building on collective wisdom to engage in informed planning will give you a leg up for next year’s PD!
 
Reflection & Generation plays a vital role in ensuring sticky adult learning. You infuse your professional learning experiences with opportunities to think-pair-share, surface assumptions, SWOT and so on. You generate insights, plans and actions as individuals, pairs and teams and across our campuses.
 
What does that look like? Well, it’s more than just perceptions of what worked well and what didn’t. It’s about the questions that you ask about the data we have and how you can move professional learning outcomes into classroom practice.
 
With that context, here are 5 tips to reevaluate your PD program and questions you can ask for each one:
 

1. Analyze data to evaluate PD effectiveness throughout the year

Consider the evidence that you’ll want to have at this time next year and formulate your questions now.
 

Example:

  1. How do we know that professional learning impacted instructional practice and student learning?
  2. Which professional learning formats were most effective in advancing educator growth?
  3. Do we know if the expense for the kick-off guest speaker in September had greater impact than the weekly coaching activities?
  4. The ability to answer these questions is becoming increasingly vital with reduced resources and increased expectations around accountability.

 

2. Determine whether or not your efforts were aligned and coherent

Thinking about next year, consider which aspects of your professional learning system don’t align with your goals or are inconsistent with your aspirations for the culture of professional learning in your organization. Laser focus on those. 
 

Example:

  1. In what ways did our professional learning initiatives and job-embedded structures align with district, building, and personal goals this past year?
  2. To what extent was professional learning a meaningful and integrated component of the performance evaluation process, supporting focused ongoing learning and growth

 

3. Examine your job-embedded learning structures and support

Reflecting on the progress within job-embedded settings, examine the degree to which new learning was applied in practice. For next year, consider ways to tightly link job-embedded learning to student learning needs by employing backwards planning as teams start the year.  
 

Example:

  1. Were our pairs and teams empowered and informed enough to take collective responsibility for their learning? How do we know?
  2. Did the tracking methods used by learning teams, coaches and mentors give them the information they needed to implement cycles of continuous improvement?

 

4. Consider how you utilized technology tools to extend, enhance, and document

Think about any additional data points that you’ll want to capture over the coming year to evaluate effectiveness. Consider how you can refine your technology systems to track for compliance, implementation, and impact.  
 

Example:

  1. To what extent was online or blended learning a part of professional learning in our system over the past year?

 

5. Benchmark your professional learning program to the prior year

Seek out the pioneers among your faculty. Set up a shared document for people to capture their reflections on innovation throughout the year. Which paraprofessional attended an EdCamp? Which principal is using Twitter as a professional learning tool? Collect their stories as a jumping off point for innovation for next year.  
 

Example:

  1. Are we dropping what is not effective to embrace promising new ideas?
  2. What risks did we take in our thinking and implementation of professional learning, and what did we learn?

 
Learn more about implementing a comprehensive, individualized professional development program
 

Recommended Resources:

Effective Professional Learning Strategies (That Actually Work): The national landscape of professional development in K-12, best practices for an effective professional development program, resources for getting started, and more.
[Webinar] Professional Growth Retains Educators: Learn how to deploy a year-round PG and retention plan to address every educator’s unique needs.
[Playbook] Designing High-Quality Professional Development Programs: A play-by-play of what high-quality professional learning looks like, and how to plan and implement it at your district.