Human Resource Management in Small Rural Districts: the Administrator's Role in Recruitment, Hiring, and Staff Development - Dr. Kritsonis & Townsell

				The campus level administrator is the leader of his/her
Human Resource Management in Small Rural Districts:				learning organization. If schools are indeed learning
The Administrator’s Role in Recruitment, Hiring, and				organizations; then, the campus level administrator
Staff Development				must establish the expectation that all members should
				focus on their own professional growth and work
Rhodena Townsell				cooperatively with others to increase student learning.
Ph.D. Student in Educational Leadership				Through individual and group assessment and
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education				discussions about needed improvement, the campus
Prairie View A & M University				level administrator and faculty members must
Prairie View, Texas				determine ways that professional development can
Principal				help them achieve the mission, goals, and objectives of
Madisonville Consolidated Independent School District				the school. By careful planning and linking professional
Madisonville, Texas				development to school improvement, campus level
				administrators and teachers work to ensure student
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD				learning is the central focus for professional
Professor and Faculty Mentor				development. Together, they also ensure that
PhD Program in Educational Leadership				professional development is ongoing (Payne &
The Whitlowe R. College of Education				Wolfson, 2000).
Prairie View A&M University
Member of the Texas A&M University System
Visiting Lecturer (2005)				Importance of Mentoring Programs and Professional
Oxford Round Table				Development
University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Distinguished Alumnus (2004)				The campus level administrator must ensure that new
Central Washington University				teachers are initiated into the culture of the school.
College of Education and Professional Studies				Through teacher mentoring programs, new teachers
				formally and informally learn that the school is an
ABSTRACT				organization that emphasizes professional growth.
The purpose of this article is to review the rural area				Schools can exhibit this commitment to the
administrator’s role in the areas of teacher				development of new teachers by developing
recruitment, hiring and staff development. State and				mentoring programs (Collins, 1999).
Regional Policies reveal that these areas are chief				Specific training should be provided to target new
among the concerns of rural school leaders (Johnson,				teachers and cover basic concerns that a new
2005). The rural school administrator’s role often				teacher needs to understand in order to feel
requires him/her to become involved in every aspect				comfortable. A mentor teacher at each level supports
of a school’s functions. It is crucial for the rural				each new teacher in his or her classroom. Master
administrator to understand the culture of the				teachers should be encouraged to facilitate monthly
surrounding community in order to become successful				seminars, lead discussions, and model “best
in these endeavors (Helge, 1985). Seeking teachers				practices” on topics such as differentiated
most likely to be sold on the benefits of teaching in a				instruction, cooperative learning strategies, and
rural school is recommended. Such individuals usually				adolescent development. In addition, each new teacher
have rural backgrounds, personal characteristics or				is assigned a mentor teacher who provides assistance
educational experiences that predispose them for life				in the day-to-day functions of the school. Informal
in a rural area (Collins, 1999).				information aboutthe culture surrounding the
				school and the community can also be
				disseminated. In a

Purpose of the Article				formal evaluation of the mentoring program,
				new teachers reported a high degree
The purpose of this article is to review the rural area				ofsatisfaction and a strong sense of support during the
administrator’s role in the areas of teacher				critical beginning stages of their teaching career (Payne
recruitment, hiring and staff development. State and				& Wolfson, 2000).
Regional Policies reveal that these areas are chief				Building level administrators must empower their faculty
among the concerns of rural school leaders (Johnson,				and hold them accountable for setting personal goals
2005). The rural school administrator’s role often				and for planning with their grade level to formulate
requires him/her to become involved in every aspect				grade specific goals. These goals are in turn aligned
of a school’s functions. It is crucial for the rural				with the school and district strategic plans. It is
administrator to understand the culture and				imperative that administrators seek and plan
expectations of the surrounding community in order to				opportunities for teachers to receive feedback and
become successful in these endeavors (Helge, 1985).				support from colleagues. Ensuring this support is
				important to each teacher's professional development
				(Payne & Wolfson, 2000).
Largest Number of Students Attending Schools in				Rural area administrators must use data to set
Rural Areas is in Texas				professional growth priorities. The location of a school,
				however remote, is no excuse not to use the latest
Jerry Johnson (2005), the State and Regional Policies				research based practices in order to foster teacher
Studies Manager, reported that 27% (12.5 million) public				growth. Children living in rural districts often face as
school students attend school in towns with				much poverty as those living in inner city schools. It
populations of less than 25,000. The study revealed				becomes the administrator’s job in conjunction with
that 19% (8.8 million) pupils attended school in towns				district level leaders to address specific issues that
with populations smaller than 2,500. Texas is the state				affect the students being served by the district.
with the largest number of students attending schools
in rural areas.
An earlier study, conducted by the National Education				Professional Growth, Improvement and Development
Association (NEA, 1998), found that 38% of				Critical for Rural Schools
America’s school age children attended public
schools in rural districts and small towns. By comparing				The following information includes practices that are
this percentage to the percentage reported in the				good for administrators in all areas. These practices
Johnson study, readers can see that the number of				are especially critical to administrators in small rural
students attending schools in rural areas has increased.				districts where resources are not plentiful.
The Johnson study reported that at least 49% of				Administrators must act as motivators and supporters
American schools are located in rural areas and that				of teachers. Outcomes are more positive when
40% of all public school teachers’ work at rural				teachers view their campus level administrator as a
schools. It is notable that rural schools often employ the				helper, supporter, a source of information, and resource
largest number of people in their communities.				for professional development. This administrator must
Teachers deciding to live in rural areas often do so				share articles, websites, tapes, books, and information
with specific purposes in mind. Often the turn over for				about topics, conferences, and workshops of interest
rural teachers is low. This can become political as				to teachers. Teachers are comfortable sharing their
teachers and support staff members compete for				professional goals and asking their campus level
local jobs. Therefore, administrators in rural areas must				administrator for assistance in pursuing professional
stay abreast of student needs, community events,				growth opportunities. Teachers feel more confident
work toward building positive relationships with				when they believe their campus level administrator
community leaders, and provide sufficient motivation				wants them to further their knowledge and increase
for staff members to work effectively to meet the				their skills. Teachers are also willing to ask for help. An
needs of the students. This is no small undertaking.				administrator must communicate with enthusiasm and
				express a sincere interest in teachers' learning. This
Current Teacher Shortage in Rural Areas				often makes it possible for teachers to participate in
				professional development opportunities without being
William Kritsonis, author of William Kritsonis, PHD on				asked. The administrator must also encourage
Schooling (2002), states that there is currently a				teachers to share what they have learned from their
teacher shortage. He goes on to say that this				professional growth experiences (Payne & Wolfson,
shortage is especially high in some geographic areas				2000).
and in some subject areas such as mathematics. This				Teachers should be encouraged to make
is true in many rural areas where perspective				presentations at staff meetings, conferences, and
teachers may find the smaller salary and the social				conventions in order to share and gain information
aspects associated with a rural community unpalatable.				about best researched based practices with
After the passage of The No Child Left Behind				colleagues and other professionals. Again, teachers
Act in 2001, rural area administrators have				must be encouraged to share information they gain
found themselves attempting to “grow”				from workshops and conferences with other staff
math and other specialty teachers in order				members at grade level or staff meetings (Payne &
to meet certificationrequirements for highly qualified				Wolfson, 2000).
teachers (Collins, 1999).				Often campus level administrators must promote new
				ideas and support teachers as they attempt to use
				the latest technology and materials. Spending time with
Public schools depend on governmental funding to stay				teachers and providing support as they work through
open. In order to meet one of the many requirements				problems is a necessity. Teachers need to
to receive these monies, administrators must sign an				beencouraged to practice new ideas and technology.
attestation form each year. The campus principal’s				Their progress seems to occur quicker
attestation is an assurance that teachers on the
campus are certified to teach the subjects to which				when administrators express enthusiasm and give
they have been assigned. This places even more				positive reinforcement as teachers utilize new
pressure on rural administrators as they try to recruit				technology and materials (Payne & Wolfson, 2000).
the necessary personnel. Rural educators are more				Campus level administrators must provide resources
likely to be assigned to teach outside of their				and find creative ways to give teachers the time,
certification area.				money, and support they need for professional
				development. Many teachers are very willing to learn
				new strategies and techniques but are frequently
Rural Administrators Have Difficulty Finding Qualified				prevented from doing so because of time constraints,
Teachers				lack of funds, or the absence of administrative support.
				The campus level administrator must actively seek
A review of the literature shows that rural				ways to help teachers find the time to learn and
administrators have difficulty finding qualified teachers				provide teachers with the available resources and the
who fit in with the school and community and who will				encouragement they need (Payne & Wolfson, 2000).
stay with the job. Often the perfect teacher is the one				Along with the central office administrators, the
who is certified to teach more than one subject or				campus level administrator must allocate time during
grade level. Teachers in rural locations must also be				the school day for professional development activities.
able and willing to adjust to the community. In some				In order to provide time for teacher professional
cases teachers must be willing to work toward				development in a rural district, the campus level
additional certification. Many districts have begun to				administrator can occasionally arrange for teachers on
provide incentives and extra pay for teachers who				the same grade level to share a substitute by dividing
are willing to under take the extra training (NEA, 1998).				the training in half so that each teacher can have a
It is no secret that teachers in rural schools can expect				half day available for professional development. This
to have smaller incomes. It is also a fact that some				strategy enables teachers to have some time during
teachers are less likely to have health insurance				the school day to work with colleagues without
benefits provided by the school district (NEA, 1998).				necessitating an entire day away from students and
While salary is a great deterrent in the recruitment of				the school building (Helge, 1985).
qualified teachers for small rural schools, the feeling of				Teacher professional development also occurs
isolation is often the first reason cited as one of the				through alternative activities such as conversations
negatives when looking at rural life. Newly hired				among teachers about common concerns, ideas for
teachers report feelings of social, cultural, and				classroom lessons and effective teaching strategies,
professional isolation. One survey cited geographic				and formal and informal observations of teachers in
isolation, weather, distance from larger communities,				their interactions with students. The campus level
distance from family, and inadequate shopping as				administrator can help to orchestrate the informal
reasons for leaving a rural area teaching position				learning of teachers through strategic assignment of
(Collins, 1999). The lack of entertainment was also a				classrooms and lunch periods, through conversations
factor to those deciding against teaching in a rural				with teachers about what other teachers are doing in
area.				their classrooms, and through modeling or describing
Teacher recruiters must look for candidates with rural				effective teaching at faculty gatherings and meetings
backgrounds, personal characteristics, or educational				(Helge, 1985).
experiences that predispose them for life in a rural				When there is an expensive
area (Collins, 1999). These individuals are most likely to				workshop that is being offered at a distance, it is often
be sold on the benefits of teaching is a rural area				a good idea for rural administrators to cooperate with
school.				a teacher’s service center or to contact
				neighboring rural districts and attempt to bring the
Helping New Teachers Overcome Feelings of Isolation				speaker in at a shared cost (Helge, 1985).
				Teacher professional development is critical to school
To help new teachers overcome the feeling of				improvement and increased student learning. As the
isolation, administrators need to conduct some of the				leader of a learning organization, an administrator must
following activities:				motivate teachers to continue to grow professionally
1. Provide a mentor teacher;				throughout their careers. By setting the expectation for
2. Provide quality in service;				ongoing learning, modeling continual learning, supporting
3. Provide school-community orientation;				teachers as they learn new skills and increase their
4. Select the first assignment with care;				knowledge, and facilitating teacher professional growth
				activities, the administrator encourages teachers to
a. Set clear goals;				work collaboratively in order to improve student
b.				achievement (Payne & Wolfson, 2000).
Welcome feedback;				The campus level administrator can serve as the
c. Establish				facilitator for professional development activities,
a non-threatening environment;				arrange for outside consultants, and coordinate the
d. Provide				logistics for school wide professional development. The
opportunities to interact with parents and peers;				campus level administrator can also recruit teachers
				from within the school to conduct professional
				development activities. By providing time, resources,
5. Streamline paperwork;				and support for teachers to plan and prepare for the
6. Provide time for the new teacher to visit in				training, the campus level administrator can affirm their
other classrooms; and				expertise and acknowledge their valuable role as
7. Encouraging workshop participation. (Collins,				contributors to the continual professional growth of
1999)				their colleagues. Depending on an administrator's
				knowledge, skill, and interest, a campus level
The campus level administrator increases the chances				administrator can
for ensuring teachers' satisfaction with their choice of
teaching as a career by helping new teachers to				also occasionally conduct professional development
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to				activities for teachers (Payne & Wolfson, 2000).
school reform, and improved student achievement. It is
also important for campus level administrators to help
experienced teachers in the acquisition of new skills				Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning
(Collins, 1999).				Rural Administrators Must Use Their Insights in Working
Often rural teachers have been on the job, in the				with Others
same grade level, at the same school for many years.
These teachers may have experienced many				In his book, Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of
curriculum changes and had many different				Meaning, William Allan Kritsonis (2007) defines
administrators during a long career. Long time teachers				Synnoetics as personal knowledge. Synnoetics is not a
may also be related to members of the school board				subject that can be directly taught. Synnoetics are
and/or attend social functions with them. This makes it				lessons that are learned indirectly. They are insights
necessary for all administrators to encourage				that are gained from experiences. Synnoetics refers
two-way communication with teachers and to share				to the insight that a person has into his own being and
data with teachers as soon as it becomes available.				the insight that the same person has into the lives of
Keeping the lines of communication open and				other people.
expectations high can help campus level administrators				It is no secret that the use of personal knowledge,
avoid many pitfalls associated with the culture of small				what one knows, can often afford an individual the
communities where the chain of command lines can				opportunity to make advancements. The
become blurred.				understanding of self and of other people can lead a
				person to make decisions, which are either beneficial
				or detrimental (Townsell, 2006). Therefore, rural
Characteristics of Successful Rural School Staff				administrators must use their insights about people in
Development Programs				order to understand the culture and the expectations
				of their communities in order to recruit, hire, and foster
Doris Helge (1985) identified the characteristics for a				the professional growth of the teachers in the school
successful rural school staff development programs				district.
as the following:
				Concluding Remarks
1. Involving teachers in the planning stage;
2. Gathering specialized resources for				In conclusion, attracting and retaining highly qualified
teaching;				teachers is one of the chief concerns facing rural
3. Integrating of rural focused content				school administrators. Keeping the lines of
especially when working with disadvantaged students;				communication open between all stakeholders and
4. Seeking and acquiring additional funding and				involving them in the research and decision making for
equipment;				staff development are the keys to quality change.
5. Using the community as a resource;				Understanding the culture and expectations of the
6. Relating effectively with the community;				community works to the advantage of rural
7. Using the latest technology; and				administrators as they work to recruit, hire, and foster
8. Incorporating alternate instructional				the professional growth of teachers in their school
arrangements for special needs populations.				districts.
				Teachers new to the district need specific information
				about the culture surrounding the school and the
Professional development is critical for the success of				community. Understanding the reasons that teachers
school improvement initiatives and subsequent student				decide to live in rural areas and seeking individuals
achievement. It is imperative that administrators place				most likely to be sold on the benefits of teaching in a
high priority on the continual professional development				rural school is recommended. Such individuals usually
of teachers and support staff at the school. Research				have rural backgrounds, personal characteristics, or
and experience says that the campus level				educational experiences that predispose them for life
administrator’s role in teacher professional				in a rural area (Collins, 1999).
development is critical. Offering specific examples to				Finally, the main focus for recruitment, hiring, and
illustrate research-based strategies are effective in				provision of quality staff development in any location
encouraging and supporting the				should be the students. We cannot afford to offer
continued professional development of teachers				them less than the best teachers.
(Helge, 1985).
				References
				Collins, T. (1999). Attracting and retaining teachers in
By participating in professional growth activities and				rural areas. Retrieved February
sharing in learning and skill development activities with				16, 2007, from
teachers, the campus level administrator demonstrates
a commitment to continual learning and serves as a
role model for the faculty (Payne & Wolfson, 2000).				Helge, D. (1985). Planning staff development
Information on the activities of the campus level				programs for rural teachers. Retrieved February 14,
administrator travels quickly and widely in a small				2007, from
school. Therefore, it is beneficial for the campus level				Johnson, J. (2005). Why rural matters. Retrieved
administrator to follow up the application of training and				February 16, 2007, from
to plan program support.				Kritsonis, W. (2002). William Kritsonis on schooling.
By setting an example as a lifelong learner,				Houston, TX: National Forum Journals.
administrators help to mold the culture of the school as				Kritsonis, W. (2007). Ways of knowing through the
a learning organization where professional				realms of meaning. Partially funded by the Oxford
development is the norm. When the campus level				Round Table, Class of 2005. Mansfield, OH:
administrator models continual learning, the support				BookMasters, Incorporated.
staff is more likely to focus on their own professional				NEA (1998). Status of public education in rural areas
development. The campus level administrator can				and small towns: A comparative analysis. Retrieved
experience with teachers the feelings associated with				February 16, 2007, from
the learning of new skills and begin to discuss new				Payne, D. & Wolfson, T. (2000). National association of
ideas and possible ways to improve the school.				secondary school principals. NASSP Bulletin, 84(618),
Student achievement will have the opportunity to				13-21.
increase as the knowledge and skills of the teaching				Townsell, R., & Kritsonis, W.A. (2006). National insight: A
staff increases. Teacher learning is encouraged when				look at synnoetics in one African American
the campus level administrator participates in the				female’s journey to the principalship. Doctoral
learning. Both the campus level administrator and the				Forum National Journal for Publishing and Mentoring
teachers benefit from learning together (Payne &				Doctoral Student Research, 3(1), 3.
Wolfson, 2000).

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Human Resource Management in Small Rural Districts: the Administrator's Role in Recruitment, Hiring, and Staff Development - Dr. Kritsonis & Townsell

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