Recruitment starts early. Recent data suggest that high school students are not entering education professions and colleges and universities are also seeing lower enrollment trends across the years as well. Approaches to recruitment need to recognize the entire pipeline, from interested high school students to preservice teachers in educator preparation programs and personnel in other fields interested in career changes. The links and resources found below are designed to assist schools in all stages of the pipeline and include information about career fairs, high school career and technical education programs such as Educator’s Rising, and related service provider programs.
Arizona Education Employment Board (AEEB) The AEEB is a free service for anyone seeking educational employment in Arizona. Districts, charter schools, secure care facilities, and other educational agencies are able to post current job openings. The AEEB is a comprehensive recruitment service that allows job seekers to use an online application, select openings in the areas of their expertise and locations of their choice, register for the Administrator Contact List, and receive weekly notices of new job postings. The AEEB averages 8,000 hits per day that increases to 13,000 hits per day during high recruitment months.
AEEB Contact
Professional Learning and Sustainability Contact Information
Recruitment and Retention Specialist Julie Lenza (602) 364-3026
The Teach In AZ website is a resource for those seeking information about Arizona certification, how to become a teacher in Arizona, education websites, and statewide openings.
Teach in AZ Contact
Professional Learning and Sustainability Contact Information
Recruitment and Retention Specialist Julie Lenza (602) 364-3026
Make an investment in your future. Educators Rising is a “grow your own” program that provides a long-term investment in your district’s education workforce. Over 60% of teachers work at schools less than 20 minutes from where they grew up. Make the connection to Educators Rising to help secure your future education workforce. For more information, download the Educators Rising flyer or email Educators Rising.
The General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) program provides funding to certified general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become certified in an area of special education.
The Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program provides funding for tuition assistance to paraprofessionals that leads to special education teaching certification.
Professional Learning and Sustainability (PLS) in-state recruitment efforts encourage and educate related service providers about the benefits of working in school-based positions. These recruitment efforts include participation in conferences at the Arizona Physical Therapy Association (AzPTA), Arizona Occupational Therapy Association (ArizOTA), Arizona Speech Language and Hearing Association (ArSHA), AT Still University OT and PT Job Fairs, ASU Job Fair, and the Arizona Association of Career Service Personnel. Out-of state recruitment efforts for special education teachers and related service providers include participation in the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
Recruitment is a critical piece of the puzzle; however, data analysis indicates that attrition of special education teachers creates a leaky bucket phenomenon. Teachers are leaving as quickly as they are coming in. It is the complex interaction of working conditions within schools that is the key to retaining educators and helping them to become effective professionals. The resources and links below are designed to assist school leaders in maximizing professional learning for educators and creating the working conditions that nurture and support highly skilled educators.
The CEEDAR Center provides opportunities to learn through resources, tools and archived webinars covering critical topics for administrators such as shortages, principal preparation for special education, family engagement, and more. ADE has partnered with the national CEEDAR Center to address recruitment/retention challenges by leveraging state policies and educator programs to implement an action plan to better prepare general and special education teachers and school leaders to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in Arizona’s K–12 schools.
ADE is happy to share that we will once again be hosting the Teachers Institute and Leading Change Conference virtually, on June 9-11, 2021. This year’s theme is “Optimism and Opportunity for All”. Keynote presenters will include John Hattie, Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Mark Perna, leading experts in equity, teaching and learning, assessment and building and fostering effective teams in education.
