Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Research demonstrates that teacher effectiveness is the most important in-school factor influencing the rate of student learning. To hire top talent, studies suggest that districts should aim to hire teachers in the spring and that districts that wait to hire until mid-to-late summer lose significant numbers of high-quality applicants. Across the country, districts have reported challenges with early hiring, particularly in certain high needs areas.

As a small state in a densely populated region, Delaware faces significant competition from surrounding states in recruiting and hiring excellent educators. Delaware data indicates that the majority of teachers with five or fewer years of education experience received their bachelor’s degree in Delaware. This is explained by the finding that teachers who did not grow up in Delaware or did not attend college in Delaware are much less likely to rate Delaware as their preferred place to teach.

In recent years, the state of Delaware has placed an emphasis on teacher preparation and hiring. In 2011, the state legislature enacted Senate Bill 16 (SB 16), which required the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to estimate each district’s enrollment by April 15th of the preceding school year. In 2013, Senate Bill 51 was designed to increase the rigor of the state’s teacher preparation process. Additionally, to track progress, the state invested in developing robust data systems for monitoring teacher recruitment, performance, and retention. These policies demonstrate the state’s commitment to recruiting, training, and hiring excellent educators.

This paper utilizes mixed methods to explore talent recruitment and hiring practices in Delaware and discusses how data has been used to inform policy at the state and local level. It is based on the Excellent Educators Survey, which was administered to all Delaware school districts and charter schools on an annual basis over the past three years. Survey data provided aggregate information on talent practices among Delaware’s district and charter schools, while qualitative data from five in-depth district and charter case studies more thoroughly explored best practices and challenges.

The passage of these laws led to a significant increase in the number of teachers hired earlier in the year. District and charter leaders reported that efficient systems, such as Join Delaware Schools, supported a more streamlined hiring process. However, while districts recognized the importance of hiring early, they also reported challenges with the recruitment and hiring process, most notably including internal transfer policies, enrollment projection challenges, and the limited talent pool.

Districts and charter leaders shared that recruiting high-quality talent requires more intentionality. In particular, they highlighted innovative programs designed to introduce prospective teachers to the profession, monetary and non-monetary recruitment incentives, and strategies for removing possible barriers to entry. Notably, several also discussed the importance of using data on teacher performance from various pathways and programs to inform the hiring process. In addition to discussing talent practices, this paper will explore how the Delaware Department of Education’s commitment to data use has informed policy at the state level and initiated change at the local level.