BTO SUCCESS STORY: BEAT THE ODDS PRINCIPLES PROVIDE SCHOOLS WITH COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE WHEN RECRUITING GEN Y TEACHERS

Many Arizona schools are facing major staffing challenges due to a critical shortage of teachers. As Baby Boomers retire, competition to attract and retain teachers is expected to intensify.

In the next few years, Phoenix’s Larry C. Kennedy Elementary School (Creighton Elementary School District) expects half of its teaching staff to consist of teachers just starting their careers — the so-called Gen Y or Millennial generation — due to Boomers retiring. Currently, only nine of its 57 teachers are Gen Y.

Based upon Principal Sean Hannafin’s experience to date, schools like his will have the upper hand when it comes to recruiting and retaining the next generation of teachers.

A Beat the Odds Leader

Hannafin, who has just completed his second year as principal of Larry C. Kennedy Elementary School, is one of more than two dozen Arizona school principals participating in the Beat the Odds School Partners program. The program helps principals implement the Beat the Odds framework school-wide, with the ultimate goal of enhancing student achievement.

The school was an Arizona trailblazer in attaining better-than-expected student achievement. Its eighth grade math performance was cited in the 2006 research study, “Why Some Schools with Latino Children Beat the Odds … and Others Don’t.” The research findings are the foundation of the Beat the Odds education initiative.

Principal Hannafin said that his school’s Beat the Odds culture has not only been conducive to attracting Gen Y teachers, but also has enabled them to quickly make meaningful contributions.

Understanding Gen Y

Gen Y, also known as the Millennials, are the twenty-something children of Baby Boomers. They are unlike any previous generation, in part because social networking has made them seek continuous interaction with others.

Gen Y employees thrive in collaborative environments where work, learning and decision-making are shared. They aren’t shy about expressing their opinions, questioning the status quo or taking charge.

They want their work tied to very clear goals. They also want to be noticed and rewarded for their skills and performance, not for their longevity with an employer.

Two Teachers’ Experiences

Sixth grade science teacher Jason Bourne said he applied only to Larry C. Kennedy Elementary School when he sought a full-time teaching position. He has worked at the school for one and one-half years.

“I substituted here and I knew the people,” Bourne said. “Everybody, even if you didn’t work with them directly — there was such a sense of community, of being in it together.”

Collaboration was an essential part of nearly everything he experienced — from setting student goals to learning how to help each student achieve success.

For example, last fall Bourne and the other sixth grade teachers came in a few weeks early so they could make plans regarding their students’ academic achievement for the coming year. “We wanted to align to make sure all of us were doing the same thing,” he said. “I believe the structure really served the students well.”

First grade teacher Jenny Lopez said the school’s clear bottom line regarding student achievement combined with its collaborative environment made it possible for her to quickly get up to speed.

“My first year, I had so much support from all of the teachers, from my team leader,” said Lopez. “They were very clear about where they wanted the children to be, what our vision was, our goals. If I had any questions, they were there.”

Both teachers agreed that their teams not only helped them to understand the big picture, but also allowed them to quickly attain proficiency in some of the nuts and bolts of teaching. In particular, they learned how to work with the student data which results from assessing student learning.

Principal Hannafin said it is vital that teachers not only look at the student data, but understand and use the data to determine how school programs can be tailored to suit the needs of the individual students.

“The data tell us so much more about the student’s ability than looking at the child — what they can do and what they can’t,” Lopez said. “That’s where we create our students’ goals, not out of the air.”

The two Gen Y teachers also found that understanding student assessment as a university subject and understanding it in the actual school environment are very different.

“Different schools and different districts use different formal assessments,” Lopez noted. “It’s something you have to learn on the job. It was through my team’s past experience that I learned.”

A Uniquely Positive Experience

Both Lopez and Bourne feel that teaching at a school that practices the Beat the Odds principles is a uniquely positive experience.

“You hear a lot of negative stories (from new teachers at other schools),” Bourne said. “That there is not a team environment, even within their own grade level. Some of them are still trying to find a good place to settle into. It makes me really grateful to be where I am.”

Lopez echoed the sentiment. “Everybody I spoke with had terrible experiences, terrible first years,” she said. “I couldn’t understand why because I had such an amazing first year.

“They were left out on a limb, out to dry,” she explained. “They didn’t have that support (that I had). I’m really blessed to be here.”