School Health

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 […]

Professional Growth

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 […]

Human Capital Management

5 Questions to Ask for Effective Professional Development

Ineffective vs Effective Professional Development With ESSA Historically, professional learning has tended toward the ineffective end of the PD continuum: teachers attend a workshop, lecture or meeting, passively listen and check it off the list of things that must be done. Once it’s over, they may never think about it again. On the other end […]

Human Capital Management

How Professional Learning for Teachers Has Changed During the Pandemic

What happened to professional learning during the pandemic? The country has been rightly concerned about how much the pandemic has impacted student learning. As schools closed and classes went online, the effects were felt nationwide. Failure rates and dropout rates rose while standardized test scores and attendance and graduation rates fell, despite the remarkable efforts […]

Professional Growth

Top Tips for Success with Online Professional Development for Teachers

While many of us can’t wait to get back to in-person professional development and think online PD is less than ideal, I’m here to tell you that virtual professional learning can be highly successful. When online professional learning is well planned and well executed, teachers describe their experiences as “fantastic,” “effective,” “perfect,” and “wonderful.” My […]

Professional Growth

Setting Up Your Teachers for Success: How to Support Teachers for 21st Century Student Learning

Research suggests that teachers are as important as ever. The RAND Corporation says teachers are the most important school-related factor when it comes to student success. Yet fewer people are graduating with teaching degrees. Those factors, combined with concerns about teacher morale in a post-COVID environment, have school districts across the country rightfully concerned about […]

Professional Growth

5 Critical Steps to Providing Meaningful Professional Development

Guest post by Jennifer Wise, Instructional Services Specialist and Title III Coordinator, Lexington School District Two As educators seek to refine practices and improve student achievement, it is important for educational leaders to provide access to high-quality professional development that offers a timely response to needs. Whether that professional development addresses the unique needs presented […]

School Health

Five Ways School Nurses Can Increase Their Sphere of Influence

The history of school nursing is more than 100 years old and began in the tenements of New York City. In 1902 Lina Rogers became the first school nurse. She was assigned by Lillian Wald to cover four schools with over 10,000 students to see if onsite care of communicable diseases would improve school attendance. […]

Human Resources

How to Engage and Motivate Teachers & Staff During COVID-19

In this article, two colleagues — one with an HR background, one from the world of professional development — consider how to motivate and engage employees through two different lenses. Cydney Miller, MBA, SPHR Sr. HCM Solutions Consultant, Frontline Education 18 years of HR and Staffing experience 9 years in HR leadership for a 4500+ […]

Talk Data to Me

A data-centric view on the challenges facing school districts

Recruiting & Hiring

Talk Data to Me: Hire Rates

According to a 2021 Frontline survey, about two-thirds of over 1,200 school and district administrators reported having a teacher shortage. Some districts experienced the teacher shortage worse than others. About half of the respondents reported difficulty filling jobs across all grade levels and subjects while the other half felt the effects of the shortage in […]

Teacher Absences & Subs

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 […]

Recruiting & Hiring

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 […]

Student Data

Talk Data to Me: Supporting the Health Needs of Students and Staff

In early April, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that schools should be reopened and “full-fledged in person” come fall 2021, regardless of vaccination status. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona echoed this in early May, saying that he expects a full return for all students in the fall. With most states no longer placing restrictions on school […]

Front & Center

A series showcasing various leaders in the K-12 space