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I think getting hired by one of the better regarded districts is still just as difficult as it has been in the past
unless you have special skills that set you apart (like history of coaching winning cheerleading teams or sports/debate/whatever) it is going to be uphill battle to separate yourself from other applicants...
MOST districts now want you to apply online and they can screen any they don't want to see very easily--since the HR dept does it and applications never get to the principals who do the true "hiring" for the most part
you can check the Educational Service Centers--10 and 11--which serve the DFW and surrounding areas/ISDs/Charter schools for jobs
this is the link to job search in 10 (Richardson office)
Most districts don't post "anticipated" jobs--until they either have the resignation of the person in that current position or get approval from their districts to add specific jobs in schools...that doesn't usually happen until the Boards meet with the Admin Staff in later spring/summer they finalize budgets...
doesn't mean the principals don't have idea of where they might need teachers --
just means it is very difficult for anyone outside the schools to know where there might be openings...
AND if you are not already certified for TX then it is more uphill since any teacher hired under a provisional certification (while you are taking classes or awaiting a test to take) you are a liability on the school and district's rating from TEA...
Most districts don't post many jobs until the preferred intra-district transfer period has expired. For most that expired before spring break or expires next week.
While the deadline to back out of a contract or retire is mid July, most district have already sent around forms asking teachers what their intentions are. Most schools, at this point, have a good idea how many positions they will be hiring because of the two reasons above. Districts start having their job fairs in late March and those go through early May. Most hiring is done between next week and end of May. Hiring tapers throughout June and then picks up dramatically after the mid July deadline. Schools scramble to fill their remaining positions the four weeks before school starts.
DISD never fills all of its jobs. The routinely have hundreds of open positions.
And for the good districts proven classroom performance is paramount to coaching experience, unless its football. Not everyone is going to have the level of classroom performance the good districts are looking for, and those people whether they are coaches or not won't make it past the first screening.
When it comes to breaking into the good school districts it is easier for people with math, science, and ESL/Bilingual. It is not impossible for Social Studies if you are filling a niche and have the required experience(that is in addition to having proven classroom performance). It also depends on what you mean by good districts. Its not that hard to break into the majority of the districts in the metroplex, especially for math, science, and esl/bilingual.
Oh and FYI. There is already state wide teacher shortage and it is expected to get substantially worse as population growth continues. Its why some districts(not necessarily in DFW) are trying to lock teachers into 3 year contracts. If the OP's girlfriend doesn't find what she wants this year, she most likely will for the 2015-2016 school year. The shortage is in a large part responsible for most districts raising pay last year. Before to long the market rate for new teachers in DFW will be $50k. If not for the 2014-2015 school year, most definitely for the 2015-2016 school year.
As retired teacher I just know how my district did it--
and frankly they tried to avoid posting any "real" job vacancies because principals were innundated with resumes and letters--
and plenty of teachers who thought they "might" be leaving because of husband's transfer or a job offer in another district just waited until they were sure...and that might mean turning in a notice in June or July
the reason there are so many unfilled openings in DISD is that no one wants to work there unless they have an exceptional job spot or can't get a job anyplace else...
As retired teacher I just know how my district did it--
and frankly they tried to avoid posting any "real" job vacancies because principals were innundated with resumes and letters--
and plenty of teachers who thought they "might" be leaving because of husband's transfer or a job offer in another district just waited until they were sure...and that might mean turning in a notice in June or July
the reason there are so many unfilled openings in DISD is that no one wants to work there unless they have an exceptional job spot or can't get a job anyplace else...
That is why half or a slight majority of districts just have pools and never post actual jobs.
DISD has always had unfilled openings because it is an urban district. The problem has gotten worse under Mike Miles. It is a place where a lot of new teachers cut their teeth. It is also a place where seasoned teachers with no ambition stay because they only want to do the minimum(DISD has low expectations outside a handful of schools). But yeah anyone with a pulse and a clean background check can get a job with DISD. Its the least desirable district but they always have jobs. One year in DISD isn't that hard to deal with.
You aren't listening -- my district avoids "pool" teachers or having long-term subs work in specific jobs--they want certified teachers who can deliver good scores and you don't get that with a SS sub working in a math class or English one...
they are just very close-to-the-vest about their job openings
the principals are allowed a lot of leeway in hiring and often just fill the spots by word of mouth among employees...OR by the new grads who are children of employees...OR by student teachers they think are a good fit...
The only problem is that working one year in DISD establishes a "track record" and an evaluation that you will be expected to share with any new jobs you apply for...
if you get a bad eval you can kiss getting a better job goodbye...even if you had minimal support and were tossed in to the deep end of the pool...
I think there is another elementary in east Dallas that is ok (Sanger?).
Does anyone know more about Sanger? I've read really good and really bad reviews online. There were a few articles on the news because some parents had a conflict with the principal, last year I think.
Maybe the other East Dallas school would be Robert E. Lee? I've heard that people mention Lakewood, Stonewall Jackson, Hexter, Lipscomb, and Lee as "good schools" in the area. And Mata is being mentioned too, especially due to the possibility of going Montessori.
Does anyone know more about Sanger? I've read really good and really bad reviews online. There were a few articles on the news because some parents had a conflict with the principal, last year I think.
Maybe the other East Dallas school would be Robert E. Lee? I've heard that people mention Lakewood, Stonewall Jackson, Hexter, Lipscomb, and Lee as "good schools" in the area. And Mata is being mentioned too, especially due to the possibility of going Montessori.
Oh, I definitely meant to put Lee on the list if I forgot it on pg 1.
Sanger is the one I wasn't sure about. Given the neighborhood it's in (Forrest Hills), I'd guess it's at least better than average for DISD?
You aren't listening -- my district avoids "pool" teachers or having long-term subs work in specific jobs--they want certified teachers who can deliver good scores and you don't get that with a SS sub working in a math class or English one...
they are just very close-to-the-vest about their job openings
the principals are allowed a lot of leeway in hiring and often just fill the spots by word of mouth among employees...OR by the new grads who are children of employees...OR by student teachers they think are a good fit...
The only problem is that working one year in DISD establishes a "track record" and an evaluation that you will be expected to share with any new jobs you apply for...
if you get a bad eval you can kiss getting a better job goodbye...even if you had minimal support and were tossed in to the deep end of the pool...
You must not understand what I mean by pool.
Pool means, a district has 1 single application for ALL TEACHING positions, not that there is a pool of teachers.
Many districts ONLY HAVE ONE POSITION to apply for IE: 2014-2015 Teacher. Everyone they hire is hired through that one application pool. Even hires through word of mouth and other connections HAVE TO APPLY THROUGH THAT application. They have to because by LAW YOUR APPLICATION AND ALL RELATED DOCUMENTATION HAS TO BE ON FILE. A large amount of school districts have one application(ie: a pooled application) because it helps prevent applicants from contacting school administrators directly. It also allows HR and administrators to prescreen and discard the un/underqualified.
Many DISD teachers move on to better districts. Many do not. DISD has had two straight years of mass exoduses of teachers, a third is expected this year. Plenty of them moved(the good teachers) have moved on to better school districts, how much better is debatable. The bad teachers stay in Dallas because they know they can get away with being bad and doing the minimum in DISD. Then you have the last group, that truly believe working in urban schools is their calling.
You also act as if Dallas is the only one with bad schools. And again "good" district is relative. Are we talking Plano, Park Cities? Or are we talking just better than Dallas? Because better than Dallas, is every other district in the metroplex.
As for evaluations, in DISD, as long as your test scores are good(meets or exceeds district average) and you play along with Mike Miles dog and pony show, you will get good-ish evaluations(there may be some sandbagging going on because of DISD's future pay for performance scheme). Test scores are a crap shoot though, more so for staar subject teachers, less so for teacher that only have district level exams.
I am not saying the OPs girlfriend should work for Dallas. Dallas is to be avoided unless you have to work there. Many new teachers, especially those who belong to a minority group, end up working for DISD. Many successfully escape DISD. It is also quite possible, the OPs girlfriend worked in a district that was worse or the same as DISD. After all, Louisiana is not known for their education system and most parts of Louisiana have high percentages of poor people(just like DISD).
The problem the OPs girlfriend will face is, she is health/pe. There aren't going to be that many health/pe teacher positions open. Even less(possibly none) without coaching requirements. DISD or the other not so great district will likely be her only options until she has a standard certificate. Even then it is going to be a tough market for her unless she gets cert'ed in other areas.
It is also a place where seasoned teachers with no ambition stay because they only want to do the minimum(DISD has low expectations outside a handful of schools). But yeah anyone with a pulse and a clean background check can get a job with DISD. Its the least desirable district but they always have jobs. One year in DISD isn't that hard to deal with.
Wow, you just slammed a lot of people - some of them are people I know and in no way are they those who "want to do the minimum". I have seen many with rewarding careers and they are revered in the community. I have seen seasoned DISD teachers also make Herculean efforts - every day. Do you have an axe to grind?
Last edited by Lakewooder; 03-18-2014 at 02:47 PM..
Does anyone know more about Sanger? I've read really good and really bad reviews online. There were a few articles on the news because some parents had a conflict with the principal, last year I think.
Maybe the other East Dallas school would be Robert E. Lee? I've heard that people mention Lakewood, Stonewall Jackson, Hexter, Lipscomb, and Lee as "good schools" in the area. And Mata is being mentioned too, especially due to the possibility of going Montessori.
Yes I would add Lee to the list - it has a dynamic new principal (he has been there a couple of years now) from the U. K. who has a good science and international background. It is being proposed in the cluster strategic plan that Lee and Lipscomb be the next schools to apply for International Baccalaureate.
I've heard good things about Sanger but am not as familiar with that school as it is not in the Woodrow attendance zone. I know that many kids from Forest Hills end up at J. L. Long and Woodrow through transfers. Sanger was in the news recently because a high-profile couple pulled their kids and wanted to start a charter or something... if you read the comments on those stories, Sanger looks good, and the couple looks petty.
A more balanced review of DISD is this --> it is a HUGE urban district with hundreds of schools and around 200,000 students enrolled. A lot of schools in DISD are unsafe and absolutely awful; others are among the top schools in the entire United States with bright students and involved parents.
OP- if you look for employment in DISD, only apply to the magnet / TAG schools or to a very specific list of elementary schools:
Preston Hollow
DeGoyler
Kramer
Walnut Hill
Rosemont
Led
Lipscomb
Lakewood
Stonewall Jackson
Hexter
I think there is another elementary in east Dallas that is ok (Sanger?).
I would add Withers and Nathan Adams to the list as well. I might add Gooch - they have torn down a huge number of apartments that feed into the school, which may allow it to become a neighborhood school again. (Might be a little early to bet on Gooch, however)
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