1st Edition
Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators A Practical Toolkit
This book is designed to support the transformation of educators into strategic talent leaders. The author’s research-based "Strategic Talent Leadership Framework" gives leaders the tools for acquiring, accelerating, advancing and assessing educator talent. Each chapter features an illustrative case, best practices, a ready-to-use tool for advancing those practices, a set of "talent analytics" and an action step planner. This guidebook is for education leaders who seek to assess current performance, adopt research-based strategies for engaging in strategic human capital practices, set goals around the use of those practices and measure the impact of their work on student outcomes. Accessible and actionable, Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators is not only a guide, but a toolkit for putting research into practice.
Introduction Domain I: Talent Acquisition 1. Forecasting 2. Recruiting 3. Hiring Domain II: Talent Acceleration 4. Assigning 5. Onboarding 6. Mentoring Domain III: Talent Advancement 7. Training 8. Coaching 9. Evaluating Domain IV: Talent Assessment 10. Compensating 11. Promoting 12. Retaining 13. Conclusion
Biography
Amy A. Holcombe is a former public school teacher, principal, director of curriculum, director of Title I, magnet and specialized schools, and executive director of talent development for a large district. She is currently the Dean of the Stout School of Education at High Point University, USA.
"Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators is a fantastic resource for anyone in a leadership position. Human capital is the most critical, yet most overlooked and misunderstood component of organizational improvement. Amy Holcombe has provided a clear roadmap to help you navigate the road to success by employing the right people to match the needs of your organization."
— Dr. Terry B. Grier, Superintendent (retired), San Diego Unified School District, Houston Independent School District"The most effective schools operate as focused, collaborative human systems. Managing and maintaining these systems demands a strong and nimble leader. The Strategic Talent Leadership Framework offers educators a powerful model, where clear domains and functions serve to drive practical strategies and actions for leading educator talent to drive school improvement in deep, sustainable ways."
— Dr. Robert Sox, Director of Educator Standards and Evaluation, NC Department of Public Instruction"Follow this roadmap to successful Human Capital Management in your school district. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or new to your school leadership role, this book is a must read. It not only recognizes the importance of strategic talent management but also provides concrete ways for us to maximize the talent in our schools. Having had the privilege of working with Dr. Holcombe, I have seen her "walk the walk" of strategic talent management and I thank her for sharing her knowledge and experience through this text."
— Steve Foster, Chief Human Resources Officer, Brunswick County Schools"Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators is a must-have resource for every school and district leader. Dr. Holcombe has created a comprehensive framework with numerous useful tools and guidelines to help leaders build human capital. Student success is the ultimate goal in education and implementing the practices in this book will help educators reach that goal."
— Dave Barker, Superintendent, Fremont County School District #1"This book provides extremely relevant knowledge and skills for all who seek to be transformative leaders. The wisdom embedded offers all readers insight into how effective human resource leaders operate. We are fortunate that such an effective and successful human resource leader was willing to share these invaluable thoughts."
— Dr. Quincy D. Williams, Executive Director of Secondary Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools"In education, the role of human resources manager has centered primarily on recruitment – school systems concentrate their resources on finding new sources of talent to replace those that are lost. Dr. Holcombe provides a data-driven, empirical guide for raising talent management from a transactional, routine process to a strategic vision of how school systems can attract, retain, grow, and advance teachers. The strategies put forward by Dr. Holcombe are essential for anyone wishing to transcend from human resources manager to talent management visionary."
— Thomas Tomberlin, Director of Educator Recruitment and Support, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction"As a result of reading this book, I have been able to successfully navigate the challenges that a national teacher shortage brings and recruit, select, and retain highly qualified educators. This book provides school leaders with a systematic framework for finding and keeping highly sought-after teachers."
— Dr. Tina S. Johnson, Principal, McNair Elementary School"In light of challenges school districts have finding and keeping the best and the brightest talent, a contribution of content and research to the field of strategic human capital management is a welcomed one. Hopefully this addition will continue to expand talent capacity in both central offices and schools."
— Dr. Elizabeth Arons, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Schools Human Capital Academy (USHCA)"Holcombe’s book targets educational leaders but as an education consultant, I would recommend her HR toolkit and best practices to any education connected organization. The strategies are easy to implement and relevant to any leader who wants to improve their team's performance, whether in education or private sector."
— Dr. Holli Bayonas, President, iEvaluate"Talent identification and development is not only important, it is critical—and never more so than now. Finding and placing the right person in the right position at the right time makes all the difference in outcomes for students. Dr. Holcombe has addressed THE key issue in education."
— Dr. Peggy Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer (retired), Guilford County Schools
