Applications came in at a higher volume than ever experienced, and the district initially wasn't prepared for the onslaught in terms of its systems or manpower. Georgia has recruited online since 1996, helping districts compete nationally for candidates. Stephanie Carreker, human resources manager for the state's Department of Education, describes its recruitment site, teachgeorgia.org, and the site's impact on hiring processes. Last year, on the 'teachgeorgia' site, we had 4,000 job postings and 25,000 applicants. The site includes online applications, statewide job searching, a r sum database, and a place that lets candidates profile the position they're looking for and request eMail notification if a position opens.
Schools can search the r sum databank for applicants to fill their positions.
The web site has changed the state's pool of applicants, Carreker noted, with 25 percent coming from outside Georgia-and some from outside the country. The department continually educates its schools on the benefits of using the web site, relaying success stories from progressive districts to those that are initially resistant. As the public demands the kind of accountability from school districts that stakeholders have demanded for years from corporations, educators are borrowing tools from the business world to improve the business of education. The result, experts agree, is better teaching and learning, more accurate assessment of student abilities, and streamlined performance of schools' daily functions. If there's one word that was repeated over and over by principals, it was the word passion.