STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL IN Fairfax County

Overview: Anthony Milanowski, SMHC/CPRE Univ. of WisconsinPanel: Jack Dale, Kevin North, Leslie Butz, Jay Pearson,

Tim Kane, Fairfax County Schools

November 19, 2008

Fairfax County Public Schools

• 13th largest U.S. school district– 167,000 students– 10% African-American, 18% Asian, 16%

Hispanic, 49% white

• 13,000 teachers, 239 schools• Generally high levels of student

achievement

• Increasing diversity and poverty

Fairfax County Context

• Virginia grants considerable flexibility to local districts

• Funding comes via county

• Parental interest in “world class” education

• “Meet & confer” rather than true collective bargaining

Challenges Facing FCPS

• How do you move from good to great while responding to increasing population diversity and poverty?

• How do you convince a successful organization to extend itself further?– While the downturn in economy reduces

financial resources

– While continuing to compete for talent in a competitive regional market

Instructional Improvement Strategy

• Professional Learning Communities

• Teacher Teaming

• Formative Assessment & Individualization of Instruction

• Data-based Decision Making

• Project-based Instruction

Talent Acquisition & Retention

• Strong & innovative teacher recruitment program – Constant recruitment, continuous improvement

– “Get their attention, spark their imagination, and capture their hearts.”

• Competitive compensation based on traditional structure

• Attention to teacher working conditions, including school leadership

HR Process Improvements

• Use of information technology

• Organization for customer focus – Physical– Structural– Cultural

• Leadership has the will to do it!

Talent Development

• Induction/Mentoring

• Professional development – Alignment & centralization– Use of technology

• Teacher Leader Program

• Multiple approaches to developing leadership talent

What We Learned from Fairfax County

• HR departments can be efficient, responsive, and successful in meeting demand for high volume recruitment of high-quality teachers (and other staff)

• How multiple strategies for leadership development can be combined

• High-performing districts may need a different strategy than those with more performance problems

What to Watch in Fairfax County

• Further development and “codification” of instructional vision

• Efforts to align professional development with emerging vision of instruction

• Impacts of Teacher Leader program

• How a participative and incremental approach to performance improvement can help FCPS continue moving from “good to great” while also addressing increasing diversity

Now, for the full story:• Jack Dale, Superintendent

• Kevin North, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources

• Leslie Butz, Assistant Superintendent, Cluster VI

• Jay Pearson, Principal, Marshall HS• Tim Kane, Assessment Coach, Marshall HS