Teach Indy’s strategic growth plan was crafted over the course of six months to address teacher recruiting and retention needs for one of Indianapolis’s most diverse and underfunded school districts. The strategies I ran point on and contributed significantly to are listed below.
Problem: Turnover in teaching is considerably higher than other professions and about half of new teachers will leave the profession within five years. Inadequate pay and burnout are the two issues teachers cite most frequently, alongside feeling undervalued and lack of support.
Solution: Inadequate pay and burnout have straightforward solutions: increasing pay and alleviating administrative burden through hiring. But even teachers in well-funded districts cited feeling undervalued and lacking support, suggesting the two are more dynamic issues. Teachers, by nature of the profession, don’t have a traditional career ladder comparable to other similarly degreed professions. (There are no Senior Vice President of Teaching positions to my knowledge.) So, I devised the Career Loop, a model that prioritizes material resources and progressive engagement for teachers to feel supported throughout their careers. It did so through increasing teacher pay and security with multi-year contracts, providing additional avenues for recognition, and creating positions of leadership without having to leave for an administrative role.
Problem: Center Township is one of Indianapolis’s most diverse townships, but its student population is under-represented by their teachers.
Solution: Expand recruiting efforts to include colleges and universities with diverse student populations at or above national baseline and competitive education programs within the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and the northern portions of the South Central and Southeast regions.
Problem: Teach Indy wants to better position itself as a thought leader within education.
Solution: Launch an annual education conference focused on the organization’s mission.
Problem: Teachers, especially those just entering the profession and/or moving to a new city, have few accessible professional and personal resources.
Solution: A centralized resource hub with a job board, professional development and support, and a guide to living in Indianapolis.
Problem: Teach Indy’s internal data was inefficient and their teachers wanted to leverage data insights to customize teaching strategies to the needs of their individual students.
Solution: Optimize administrative efficiency, provide better data insights, and alleviate administrative burden on teachers by partnering with an EdTech solution.
"Prolific intimately listened to, and understood, diverse stakeholders: our team, community leaders, and our city’s teachers. Not only did they listen, but their strategies and recommendations were well-crafted and tailored to our local community context."
― Joe White, SVP
Results:
Teach Indy launched its centralized resource hub.
Teach Indy was awarded a $200,000 investment from College Football Playoff Foundation for recruitment, development, and retention.
Teach Indy hosted its inaugural Educators Conference, a multi-day conference created by teachers, for teachers, in 2021.