POLICY
4235

PERSONNEL 4235

MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT

Policy

The Manchester Public School System recognizes the value in providing students opportunities to interact with staff from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

The Manchester Public School System would like to increase the percentage of staff from minority groups by encouraging their applications, hiring and retention through a District Action Plan with three components: (A) a process for identification of potential candidates by making use of appropriate advertising and recruitment resources; (B) a hiring process that is fair to all; and (C) a process for retention that provides necessary support.

Administrative guidelines in the form of a District Action Plan will accompany this policy.


Adopted: June 14, 1999

Administrative Guidelines

District Action Plan:

A. Identification - The district action plan is comprehensive with short term, long term and ongoing components. There are three main components each with a number of activities. The components are (A) a process for identification of potential candidates; (B) the process for hiring; and (C) the process for retention.

1. Short term

  • Goal: 25 percent of new hires each year will be from minority groups.
  • Attend minority teacher recruitment fairs, both state and regional.
  • Utilize current minority staff to assist in identification of minority candidates.
  • Utilize the CREC and other job web sites for posting positions.
  • Utilize the web sites of various colleges and universities particulary those known to have a significant minority population.
  • Establish contact with minority students through trips taken to historically black colleges.
  • Become actively involved with CREC-MTR committees.
  • Establish a district committee whose sole responsibility is minority recruitment. Membership on this committee should include minorities.
  • Develop a marketing package on the town.

 

2. Long Term - Effective recruitment of minorities will depend, to a large extent, on the early identification and nurturing of future educators beginning as early as middle school.

  • Establish Y.E.S. Club (future teacher clubs) to nurture potential teachers and participate in local and national future teacher programs.
  • Develop a School-to-Career program in the education/government strand.

Consideration:

  • Utilize the services of CREC's Minority Teacher Recruiting Program. CREC markets Connecticut districts in public relation materials, establishes contact with colleges, recruits college teacher education candidates from Connecticut and the east coast, offers Praxis tutorial assistance, sponsors a Minority Teacher Recruitment Fair, sponsors an interview day, provides file distribution of minority candidates, sponsors Y.E.S. (Future teachers) club activities, offers a Summer Institute for Future Teachers, and coordinates a support group for minority educators.

B. Hiring - Uniform techniques should be used to assure that equal treatment and consideration is afforded to all applicants in the hiring process.

  • Form committees for college visits. Committee membership should include minority staff when possible.
  • Review the wording of the interview questions. Delete the questions or reword questions which are culturally or racially insensitive.
  • Participate in support groups for minority teachers.
  • Develop community contacts with civic, fraternal, etc. organizations, to provide networking opportunities.

Considerations:

  • Standard hiring packet might include: housing information, social activities, churches, banks, town services.
  • Candidates open house or tour days; provide one-on-one contacts.

C. Retention - Maintaining a successful and productive relationship between a school district and the minority teacher is a critical component of a minority staffing plan.

  • Schedule periodic meetings throughout the year of all first year teachers.
  • Provide new hires with some support network, i.e., mentors in additional to B.E.S.T.
  • Provide an orientation program for new hires including town and school officials, the payroll process, the budget process, the Aculture@ of the school, as well as the B.E.S.T. program
  • Avoid asking minority staff to serve as the experts for special cultural days or months.
  • Encourage support and participation in minority educator support groups (CREC-MTR coordinates a minority educator partnership).
  • Diversity training for all staff including support staff. Such training can be provided by several organizations, for example, The National Conference, Anti-Defamation League, and SDE Office of Educational Equity and Excellence.
  • Support local activities of minority groups, district and regional.

Adopted: June 14, 1999
©2005 Manchester, CT - Board of Education