WestEd today announces the development and launch of a Talent Management Academy with teams of district- and school-level leaders from three local education agencies (LEAs) in Delaware.
Research continually reinforces how highly qualified teaching professionals are the most important school-based factor in rapidly improving learning outcomes. Leaders, too, are instrumental in fostering effective teaching and learning environments that support student learning and academic growth. As a result, districts spend about 80 percent of their budget on identifying and maintaining talent. In schools that are poised for additional improvement and support, talent development and management is a crucial aspect of far-reaching school improvement efforts, which also include the domains of turnaround leadership, culture shift, and instructional transformation.
To help districts craft comprehensive talent development plans to attract, hire, support, and retain exemplary educators who can make a difference in students’ lives, the Delaware Talent Management Academy, hosted by WestEd, convenes a cohort of district- and school-level staff from improving school districts, as well as individuals with a strong commitment to comprehensive support and improvement.
The Talent Management Academy consists of on-site meetings facilitated by technical experts from WestEd’s rapid school improvement team. Virtual professional learning and coaching sessions are interspersed with in-person sessions to promote the selection and implementation of effective talent management strategies. These strategies prioritize competencies for teacher selection and development in each LEA’s unique turnaround context and include areas of recruitment, hiring and placement, induction, ongoing development and support, retention, and promotion.
Delaware’s state leaders have formally adopted the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. The Talent Management Academy will draw on the framework to ensure that LEAs operating in high-need, hard-to-staff school districts have the teachers and leaders needed for success.
For more information about talent development for rapid school improvement, please contact Caitlin Beatson at [email protected] and Sarah Barzee at [email protected].