New Recruitment Initiative Seeks to Attract Diverse Educators to HCPSS

November 20th, 2024

Having a diverse workforce is a core value at HCPSS—in part because of the critical role it plays in the HCPSS student experience.

“Students benefit from having teachers from diverse backgrounds,” says Guilford Park High School (GPHS) Assistant Principal Kareem Penn. “They benefit from [learning from] people who look like they do, who can relate to their life experiences, and who make them feel like they belong.”

At the same time, having teachers with diverse backgrounds helps to open other students’ eyes to other perspectives, says Julia Bialeski, HCPSS’ Coordinator of Recruitment and Hiring.

“It [can be] impactful for students to learn from teachers who have different experiences than they do. It prepares them to be citizens of the world,” Bialeski says.

To better attract diverse teacher candidates, Penn, Bialeski, and other HCPSS Human Resources staff have collaborated to develop Realistic, Engaging, Educational Learning Seminars (REELS), a new HCPSS initiative to recruit students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are enrolled in educational programs to teach in Howard County.

“Our goal in developing REELS was to provide[ collegiate] education students with firsthand experience in our schools. We wanted them to walk our hallways, meet our administrators, staff and students, learn about the supports we have to offer, and give them the opportunity to imagine HCPSS as their professional home,” explains Penn.

“REELS represents a very unique recruitment strategy,” adds Bialeski. “It enables us to establish meaningful relationships with HBCU students while they are still in school and thinking about their plans for the future. Our hope is that these students will consider applying to HCPSS upon graduation, bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to enrich our teaching community.”

Earlier this month a dozen students from Delaware State University (DSU) took part in the first REELS recruitment event. They kicked off their day at Guilford Park High School (GPHS), where they received a school tour led by students in GPHS’ Educators Rising program; observed several GPHS teachers teaching; and participated in a panel discussion and lunch with GPHS teachers and students focused on the GPHS student experience.

From there, the DSU students traveled to Patuxent Valley Middle School and Bollman Bridge Elementary Schools for school tours and meetings with students and staff. They wrapped up their day at the HCPSS Central Office (CO), where they met with and heard from CO staff, including HCPSS Resource Teacher and DSU alumna Kym Nwosu.

“I have been with HCPSS for 25 years. I can tell you that if you have a desire to work with the best of the best, HCPSS is the place for you. HCPSS offers so many supports and opportunities for growth. If you have a desire to succeed here, you absolutely can,” Nwosu said.

Quedence Evans was one of the DSU students who attended the November HCPSS visit. As a school system alumna, Evans was pleased that her experience coming back to the district reinforced her interest in becoming an HCPSS teacher.

“After visiting and observing HCPSS classrooms, and having conversations with the principals and discussions with their teachers, I am even more eager to join the Howard County Public School System,” Evans notes, adding that she was “excited to see how the teachers interacted with the children, and how supportive, passionate, and educated the staff was in the classroom.”

Nia Dooley, a DSU sophomore and elementary education major, says she, too, came away with a positive impression of HCPSS and an interest in a possible career in the future.

“I enjoyed being able to interact with other teacher leaders and administrators from the district in order to ask them questions and hear their first hand experiences and opportunities for development in Howard County,” she says. “I was highly impressed by all of the benefits available to new teachers, as well as the opportunities available for students. I would definitely consider a future in Howard County schools,” she says.

Darren Rainey, DSU’s program manager for Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Educators, accompanied the DSU students on their HCPSS visit and says that experiences like REELS are invaluable for his students.

“It’s so important for our education students to have experiences like this, where they are exposed to different schools, different school districts, and have the opportunity to learn about how education is handled in different states. These students have options about where to begin their careers, and events like this one help them to see what options are out there and determine which option is best for them.”

Bialeski and her team hope to build on the success of the November REELS event and offer the program to other HBCUs.

As she notes, “REELS is a key part of our effort to build a strong pipeline of diverse educators to work with our students.”