Before the First Bell: 3 Things Schools Often Overlook at the Start of the Year
As the last stretch of summer sets in, most people are thinking about barbecues, county fairs, and time away from routines. School leaders, on the other hand, are deep in preparation, focusing on making the transition into a new school year as smooth as possible.
Budgeting, staffing, and enrollment usually take center stage. However, there are a few less visible pieces that can easily get overlooked and tend to show up at exactly the wrong time.
As the first day gets closer, there are a few things worth one last look. Here are three that can help set students and staff up for a stronger start.
#1) Preparing for Turnover
Even when staffing plans are in place, unexpected changes can quickly leave school administrators scrambling. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), about 8% of public school teachers
move to a different school each year, while another 8% leave the profession. Together, that means roughly 16% of public school teachers nationally may move schools or leave teaching from one year to the next. With that level of turnover, having a plan for unexpected vacancies can be just as important as filling the positions you already know about.
Before the first bell rings, take a look at how your school will respond if a staffing need comes up midyear. Establishing a relationship with a K–12 staffing partner early can give your school access to qualified candidates without starting the search from scratch when a vacancy occurs.
It’s also important to know how a staffing partner recruits and vets candidates. Look for experience requirements, content-area knowledge, district-compliant background screenings, clear contract terms, and flexibility if you eventually want to hire a contracted staff member directly. At SmartStart Education, for example, teachers are required to have at least one year of relevant experience and content-specific knowledge. After all, filling a chemistry vacancy with an available teacher doesn’t help much if their background is in art.
Planning for these details ahead of time can make an unexpected vacancy much more manageable—and help keep the focus on finding the right fit for students, rather than simply filling an empty position.
Learn About Our Staffing Solutions
#2) Addressing Learning Gaps Before They Grow
Most schools have a strong academic plan in place. But, as your favorite English teacher may quote, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. The challenge is that even well-designed plans can run into strain once the year is in motion. From staffing shortages to intervention needs, things tend to pop up when we least expect them.
That’s often when schools find themselves trying to quickly add tutoring support mid-year, once gaps have already widened. Research from the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford highlights that tutoring is most effective when it is embedded in ongoing instruction and delivered consistently during the school day. Help students build skills in real time rather than trying to recover lost ground later.
However, now there are two companies you need to find: one for staffing, and one for tutoring. Or is it? SmartStart Education not only has superb staffing solutions, but high-quality tutors as well! Our tutors have a bachelor's degree in related field, demonstrated content knowledge, 1+ years of experience, HIT certification from Arizona State University and are properly vetted.
Learn About Our High-Dosage Tutoring
#3) Early-Year Structured Test Prep
As students move into the upper grades, expectations shift. Alongside their regular coursework, they begin preparing for what comes next, such as college, scholarships, and standardized testing. For many, SAT prep gets pushed into the winter or early spring. But by that point, schedules are tighter, stress is higher, and there’s less opportunity to build momentum.
National data from the ACT shows that only about 30% of students met at least three of the four college readiness benchmarks, while SAT data shows similar patterns, with only a portion meeting both math and reading/writing benchmarks, according to the College Board. Starting earlier gives students more time to build confidence, identify gaps, and improve without the pressure of a shrinking timeline.
At SmartStart Education, we are proud to announce that we are now offering test prep! Schools and districts have reached out, requesting this need be filled. Now, we are able to offer targeted support, personalized instruction, and testing strategies! That means we are the one-stop-shop for everything-education, from staffing to tutoring to test prep.
Between staffing shifts, academic gaps, and test prep demands, the beginning of the year has a way of revealing what wasn’t fully set up in advance. Reach out to us to learn how we can be there for you every step up the way! With all that time you save not finding three different companies, go enjoy the weather, grab a grilled hot dog, and take a breath before the pace picks up again.
Sources