Webinar Recap: How K-12 School Districts Can Attract, Interview, and Retain Top Talent

As competition continues to increase for skilled K-12 educators, attracting and retaining top talent is one of the biggest challenges K-12 school districts face today. In a recent webinar, “How to Attract, Interview, and Welcome Top Talent to Your Team, ” Frontline Education and interviewstream experts shared insights into transforming recruitment, interview processes, and onboarding to create a seamless experience for candidates and school districts.

In this recap, we’ll cover the key takeaways, including how to leverage technology to streamline your hiring process and create a culture that helps retain top educators:

Attracting Top Talent in a Competitive Landscape

Currently, school districts are up against several challenges, including a smaller talent pool, the high qualifications required for positions like special education teachers and paraprofessionals, and competition from other districts.

Mitch Welch, Solution Director at Frontline Education, kicked off the webinar by addressing these pain points, noting that recruitment isn’t just about finding candidates externally. It’s equally important to focus on retaining and developing internal talent. As districts grow their existing staff (e.g., promoting paraprofessionals into teaching roles), they can foster loyalty and reduce turnover.

Key Strategies to Overcome These Challenges:

• Expand the Talent Pool: interviewstream’s video interviewing tools within Frontline Education’s Recruiting & Hiring Applicant Training System (ATS) allow districts to cast a wider net by removing geographical barriers. Candidates can interview from anywhere, making it easier for districts to find the right fit beyond their immediate area.
  
• Improve Candidate Experience: Creating a strong, modern candidate experience is key. Through the use of Frontline Recruiting & Hiring and interviewstream, districts can customize the interview process with branded welcome messages, personalized questions, and automated interview reminders via email and SMS, which improve communication and candidate engagement.

By using these tools, districts not only expand their reach but also enhance the candidate experience, leading to better hiring outcomes.

Conducting Dynamic Interviews with Confidence

A recent survey conducted by Frontline Education found that only 3 out of 10 K-12 hiring managers feel confident that they’ve hired the best person for the job. This lack of confidence stems from several factors, including the limited pool of qualified applicants and the pressure to fill roles quickly.

Dan Faciana, Strategic Account Manager at interviewstream, shared insights into how video interviewing can help districts make better-informed hiring decisions. By using pre-recorded or live video interviews, hiring teams can evaluate candidates more thoroughly and on their own time. This flexibility allows for deeper candidate assessments and helps districts make more confident hiring decisions.

Key Benefits of Video Interviewing:

• Reduced Time to Hire: interviewstream’s integration with Frontline Education ensures districts can manage the entire interview process from within their existing platform, saving time and resources. Candidates can interview from any location, allowing for faster decision-making.
• Customizable Interview Experience: Districts can create tailored interview questions based on specific job requirements. interviewstream’s AI-powered recruiting assistant can even generate relevant interview questions, job descriptions, communication, and other hiring-related content, helping HR teams quickly assess candidates’ fit for a role.
• Supporting Internal Staff Development: Video interviewing is not just for external recruitment—districts can use it to facilitate internal staff development and mentorship programs, helping to upskill their existing workforce.

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Retaining Talent Through Effective Onboarding and Mentorship

While attracting top talent is crucial, retaining those hires is equally important. A strong onboarding process plays a key role in setting up new hires for long-term success. In the webinar, the panelists emphasized that onboarding shouldn’t stop at the hiring paperwork—it should extend into the first year and beyond, creating a continuous support system.

Joey Vasser, Partner Success Manager at interviewstream, noted that many districts lose new hires early because they lack a structured onboarding and mentorship program. Without regular check-ins and support, new educators often feel overwhelmed, especially in challenging roles.

Key Strategies for Retaining Talent:

• Mentorship Programs Increase Retention: Districts with strong mentorship programs have 20% higher teacher retention rates, according to the K-12 Lens Report shared during the webinar. Mentorship helps new hires feel supported and engaged, reducing turnover.
• Ongoing Check-Ins Through Video: interviewstream’s video interviewing tools can be used for more than just hiring. Districts can set up regular video check-ins at key intervals (e.g., 30, 60, and 90 days after hire) to gather feedback from new employees. This allows districts to address challenges early on, improving retention rates.
• Holistic Onboarding: Onboarding is not just about completing paperwork—it’s about integrating new hires into the district’s culture and providing them with the skills and support they need to succeed.

Welch explained with regard to Frontline Education’s holistic onboarding process: “If your onboarding is only a packet and stops, you’re not truly onboarding…onboarding shouldn’t stop until year 2.”

The Importance of Culture in Retaining Talent

Beyond competitive salaries, culture plays a significant role in whether educators choose to stay in a district. According to the panelists, candidates today want to work in environments where they feel supported, engaged, and valued. Creating a positive culture that prioritizes mentorship, professional development, and regular feedback can help retain top talent.

By combining Frontline Education and interviewstream’s technology with a culture that prioritizes employee growth, districts can foster long-term retention and build strong, cohesive teams.

Ready to Attract and Retain Top Talent?

As school districts face increasing competition for talent, it’s crucial to adopt tools and strategies that improve the candidate experience, streamline the interview process, and provide ongoing support through mentorship and check-ins.

Frontline Education and interviewstream’s integrated solutions empower K-12 HR teams to attract top talent, and retain and develop that talent over time. Reach out to our team today to learn more about how you can use technology to improve your recruitment and retention.

Missed the webinar? You can watch the full webinar here. For more insights into recruitment trends in education, see the K-12 Lens Report here.

About The Author

Drew Whitehurst is the Director of Marketing, RevOps, and Product Strategy at interviewstream. He's been with the company since 2014 working in client services and marketing. He is an analytical thinker, coffee enthusiast, and hobbyist at heart.