Substitute Shortage?
Invest in the Subs You Have, Not the Ones (You Think) You Need

Most news articles about substitute teaching focus on a “substitute shortage.” And the first question most school districts we work with ask us is, “do I have enough subs?”

In our experience we’ve found it’s usually not a question of “enough,” but rather, “engagement.”

We’ve analyzed substitute assignment data for many districts, and there is a very consistent pattern: about half a district’s sub pool is working 75-90% of jobs. That means the other half is working infrequently—usually 5 to 10 days a year—or, not at all. Requirements, licensing, and hiring practices vary but nowhere is it easy or effortless to become a substitute; plenty of people are jumping through the hoops to become a sub, but more than half don’t work very often, if at all.

With a focus on substitute recruitment HR teams spend the bulk of their time hiring and onboarding new subs, leaving almost no room to invest in the substitute experience itself. What if instead of focusing on getting more subs, HR teams could spend that time figuring out how to engage and inspire the current sub pool, so that they want to work more?

This is a pretty big shift from how we traditionally think about managing substitute pools, and it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some practical ideas for tackling this challenge:

1. Beef up orientation. In most districts orientation is used as time to ensure compliance measures are met. And while compliance is super important, it doesn’t address the actual job of substitute teaching or the uncertainty new subs typically feel. Your new subs may be folks who have never stepped into a classroom before, who may not know what to expect from your schools, students, or teachers. Orientation should be a time for subs to learn about the job and how to succeed at it. The good news is that your district has amazing educational resources! Tap into the curriculum and instruction folks to help create a more substantive orientation experience that warmly welcomes folks to your district and also addresses substitute job responsibilities, skills for classroom management, and techniques for instruction.

2. Build relationships. Talk to new and prospective subs about their goals, interests, and intentions, and then ensure the subs who are most motivated to work are making it across the finish line as quickly and easily as possible. Proactively identify subs who may be interested in becoming full time teachers, so that you can provide resources and help them navigate the process; the sub pool is a great source for new teachers! It’s also important to help subs build relationships with schools. Create school profiles that help subs get to know your schools, beyond the typical facts and figures. And set up school tours, especially at sites who tend to have lower coverage rates. Finally, invite substitutes to district and school events where they can get to know teachers, principals and most importantly, school office managers. The more you can connect subs to your school and district community, the better.

3. Keep in touch. In many industries it’s common to hear from “customers” only when they have a problem. Don’t let this be the case for substitutes! Set up a regular communication calendar and newsletter to reach out with information, resources, and congratulations (see tip #5!). It’s particularly important to share what you need in terms of coverage. Leverage the data in your sub system to anticipate needs and proactively talk to subs about how to boost coverage. The more you include substitutes as part of the solution, the more likely they are to be engaged and feel like they are part of the team.

4. Ask for feedback. Substitute teachers have the autonomy to “vote with their feet” and work selectively or not at all. One way to ensure they are getting what they need is to ask them! Set-up a Google Survey (or borrow ours**) and ask folks for their input at least once a year. If you plan an annual training or orientation for subs, make sure you ask for feedback well in advance so you have time to implement at least a few new ideas that come directly from subs themselves; it’s important that if you ask for advice, you’re actually prepared to take some action.

5. Celebrate milestones. Recognition goes a long way, so set meaningful milestones for substitute teachers and celebrate folks when they reach them. To define your milestones, consider the needs of your district and start with your data. For example you might recognize subs who work a certain number of days a month, those who pick up the most last minute jobs, or the sub who works at the most number of school sites in a month—whatever matters to your subs and your schools. Recognize milestones monthly and share widely: in your substitute newsletter, on a wall in the district office, on the district website, on social media. Make sure the recognition is well publicized.

Getting Started

It can be daunting to jump into new, proactive work. We recommend starting out by just seeking to understand your current state. Spend 30 minutes or less on a simple mapping exercise: chart out every interaction between substitutes and your school district on a timeline, from when a potential substitute first engages with your district through their first full school year in your pool. What are the recurring interactions? What happens only once? Who initiates interactions, and what is the purpose of each one? Once you have an idea of where you are today, find just two places where you can improve your engagement with substitute teachers, and build from there. Here’s a great video to inspire this kind of journey mapping.

It’s important to start small, iterate, and get feedback as you go. After all, that’s one of the best parts about working on substitute teaching: unlike many processes in a district, with substitute teaching everyday is a new opportunity to try something different.

**Substantial has an awesome Google Survey that we’ve used in many school districts. Want a free copy? Just send us an email! hello@substantialclassrooms.org