Talent Talks Blog
Insights on compensation strategy, performance evaluation, workforce planning, retention, and effective organizational leadership for education, mission-driven, and nonprofit organizations.
Compensation Is How Schools Show What They Value. Are We Paying Attention?
TL;DR: Nicole Pratt | June 2026 Early in my career, I was known as the “survey lady.” I couldn’t be in every room to ensure high-quality training for teachers across a whole state. So I learned to rely on surveys, and ultimately data, to understand what was happening. The data helped me see where things […]
When Intent to Return and Stay Conversations Don’t Match: What Now?
Marguerite Thibodeaux | March 2025 “In the intent to return survey, 100% of staff said they plan to return, but we know that at least a handful are really on the fence. How do we recruit just in case they leave without scaring off faculty that see their job posted?” Each spring, schools across […]
Building a Recruitment Strategy that Starts with Heart (and Actually Works) – The “E.G.O.S.” Method
Ryan Osborne | February 2025 It’s February. If you’re not already thinking about next year, let this be a reminder to start! We all know that recruiting teachers and school staff is no small task. In today’s hiring market, it’s tough out there. But here’s the good news: you can build a strong recruitment […]
Retention Isn’t Just About Perks—It’s About Culture
Saima Zaman | November 2024 As the holidays approach, this is the time when staff start to think about whether they are leaving or staying at their current organization. Time with family, away from work, gives staff time to step back and assess their role and organization. We also know that from August through December […]
Navigating School Operations: Building Effective Teams through Inclusive Talent Management
Cortney Graham Ameckson | October 2024 Ever had one of those moments where you’re managing the chaos of morning drop-offs, juggling a last-minute maintenance issue, and still trying to prep for a staff meeting? That’s the life of school operations—unpredictable, fast-paced, and incredibly rewarding when everything runs smoothly. At EdFuel, we understand that the backbone […]
Back to School: Supporting New Hires
Ashleigh Phillis | August 2024 Perfectly arranged desks. Whiteboard markers that still had their tips. Icebreaker exercises with my grade team. As a teacher, these were the details that signaled a new school year for me. Once everything was set up, my classroom became a place of hope for all that could be accomplished. Time […]
Planning for Strong Retention and Effective Onboarding Over the Summer
Rachel Nozari | July 2024 Effective onboarding isn’t just about paperwork; it’s about making new team members feel like they belong from day one. At EdFuel, we have supported numerous education organizations in transforming their onboarding and retention processes. By partnering with single-site charter schools, multi-state charter networks, traditional districts, and nonprofits, we’ve helped create […]
Boost Teacher Retention with Performance Management Design
Nicole Pratt| June 2024 I love performance management. This declaration often draws a confused look from whomever I’m talking to, but it’s true. At its heart, performance management, when done well, is all about coaching and development. I know that is not everyone’s, or even most people’s experience, but it can and should be. A […]
Strategic Staffing: How to Benchmark Your Charter Network Leadership & Central Office Structure
Marguerite Thibodeaux| May 2024 “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates “We know ESSER funds are going away. We’re trying to continue growing enrollment while our funding is changing. How do we know where we need to move folks […]
Learning to Embrace Ambiguity
Rachel Nozari | July 2022 As a society, we’ve experienced immense ambiguity in the last two-plus years. We lived through a global pandemic and managed day in and day out uncertainty with fast-changing needs to respond to. We grappled with personal and family health concerns, sustained disruption to schooling and childcare, “the great resignation”, and […]
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