Frontline Education Blog | Ideas for School Leaders

Skip to main content

Recruiting & Hiring

By Kevin Agnello, Data Analytics Engineer on 1/12/2022

Talk Data To Me: Assessing the Health of Substitute Teacher Pools by State

The status of absence management within school districts throughout the pandemic has been a consistent topic on Talk Data to Me. As teacher absence rates have consistently climbed back to pre-COVID levels this school year, states have had varying success in rebuilding their substitute teacher pools and increasing the proportion of available substitutes who actively fill absences.

Teacher Absences & Subs

By Elise Ozarowski, on 5/27/2021

Webinar Takeaways: 3 Ways to Boost Fill Rates and More

Have you looked at your district’s absence data lately? Do you have a solid understanding of how many non-working substitutes you have, and how that number might impact your fill rates?

Continue Reading

Teacher Absences & Subs

By Kevin Agnello, Data Analytics Engineer on 10/18/2020

Talk Data to Me: Reasons for Teacher Absences in 2020

Previously on Talk Data to Me, we examined COVID-19’s impact on teacher absences throughout the spring. Between March and the end of the school year, most school districts across the country had migrated to virtual learning models, and during that time the number of absences requiring a substitute plummeted. So far during the 2020-21 school year, some districts have chosen to fully reopen, some are continuing with virtual learning, and others are operating somewhere in between, with a hybrid model.

Human Resources

By Kevin Agnello, Data Analytics Engineer on 6/10/2020

Talk Data to Me: Absence Management During COVID-19

In the last installment of Talk Data to Me, we looked at how COVID-19 has significantly impacted K-12 hiring. Below, we will again leverage data from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute, this time to show how COVID-19 has impacted teacher absences.

Continue Reading

Human Resources

By Ryan Estes, Content Marketing Manager on 10/23/2019

(VIDEO) Explain It Like I’m 9: Low Substitute Fill Rates? Your Substitute Teachers Might Not Be Accepting Jobs.

Ah, new beginnings… Welcome to the first episode in a new series from Frontline Education: “Explain It Like I’m 9.” In each episode, our elementary and middle school-aged experts will take a quick look at a data point that impacts school leaders. Then, they’ll examine what it can tell us, and offer some takeaways or questions for reflection.

Continue Reading

Teacher Absences & Subs

By Annie Buttner, Contributing Consultant on 2/5/2018

Recovery & Innovation After Disaster: Livingston Parish’s Story

In August 2016, the town of Livingston was hit with severe flooding. Within 24 hours, the district received 33 inches of rain, leading to floods ranging from two inches to nine feet. Repairing the damage to the 17 flooded schools was estimated to cost up to $350 million, 90 percent of which would be covered by FEMA. However, Livingston Parish was still responsible for funding for the remaining ten percent — a difficult mandate for a district with an annual budget of about $250 million.

Continue Reading

Teacher Absences & Subs

By Annie Buttner, Contributing Consultant on 12/6/2017

One State’s Journey to Fewer Teacher Absences

Rhode Island: a state known for its gorgeous coastline, diminutive size and… teacher absences? Since the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published its Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools report in September, there has been plenty of talk about the state’s high teacher absenteeism rates. And there’s no debating that the numbers are high.

Continue Reading

Teacher Absences & Subs

By Annie Buttner, Contributing Consultant on 6/13/2016

What Does Sherlock Holmes Have to Say about Absence Management?

As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to focus on the fall. How can you make sure that classrooms aren’t empty when teachers are absent next year? How can you ensure that employee absences don’t get out of control? The answer can be found in the story of a certain fictional detective and his dedication to data.

Continue Reading