Which Schools are the Gold Standard for Teacher Recruitment and Retention Practices?

by Dr. Harry Bloom, Founder and President, Benchmarking for Good

The pandemic represented a hugely challenging time for teachers, and they rose magnificently to meet that challenge. But for many, doing so was exhausting. And one consequence of that is a worrisome trend of faculty members retiring or shifting to less demanding, potentially more rewarding professions.

In this environment, it is fair to ask: what segments of the private school market are responding most positively to attract and retain qualified teachers? Which school segments represent the Gold Standard for how to actively support faculty members?

Based on our analysis of NAIS’ DASL information, the resounding champion supporters of faculty are Quaker schools! Relative to the entire universe of private day schools and their key faith based subsegments, Quaker schools are standouts on the dimensions of salaries, benefits, student to teacher ratios, teaching load, and professional development funding.

Implications

Now is the time for school leaders to recognize that there is no higher priority than the recruitment and retention of qualified faculty, and that at the current moment, this is an area of significant pressure. School leaders should emulate the kinds of investments Quaker schools have made in order to meet this challenge and reap the benefits of a happier staff and an enhanced value proposition.

Benchmarking for Good, Inc.

Benchmarking for Good is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to help non-profit organizations of all types to better fulfill their missions by using comparative benchmarking and research to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their operational processes, reduce unnecessary costs, increase the productivity of assets, personnel, expenditures and investments, and maximize revenues.

Benchmarking for Good invites associations of nonprofits that have a desire to put benchmarking to work for their members to submit a grant proposal outlining their goals and ability to support a Benchmarking for Good project. We offer a range of benchmarking related services including analysis, opportunity definition, implementation planning consultation, and staff training.

Please contact Dr. Harry Bloom at harrybloom@benchmarkingforgood.org to arrange an introductory discussion.