Recruitment & Retention

Recruitment and Retention: Staff, Students, Community Partners 

Austin ISD is committed to attracting and retaining high-quality, effective candidates by aligning recruitment and partnership efforts with district needs. Recruitment strategies are guided by district and campus data, including Targeted Improvement Plans, the Effective Schools Framework, and workforce trend analyses. These approaches ensure staffing efforts are responsive, balanced, and tailored to the unique needs of individual campuses.

An overview of current recruitment and retention efforts includes the following:

University Recruitment Events - Austin ISD partners with educator preparation programs that align with the district’s instructional priorities. Past recruiting events, hiring data, and program outcomes are reviewed to identify universities that can serve as strong, long-term partners. The goal is to build sustainable pipelines of highly skilled teachers and administrators through targeted outreach and relationship development.

District Recruitment Events - Austin ISD hosts a variety of in-district events to engage candidates. These include districtwide job fairs, meet-and-greet sessions, student-teacher networking opportunities, information sessions, resume and interview workshops, mock interview/feedback sessions, and “Chat with a Recruiter” opportunities. These events provide candidates with access to Austin ISD staff, resources, and personalized guidance.

Conference Presence - To establish Austin ISD as a destination district for education professionals, the Talent Strategy team participates in state conferences and places a particular focus on conferences that connect with historically underrepresented groups. Austin ISD also supports current employees who present at conferences by equipping them with recruitment materials and district talking points, which expands the district’s visibility and reach.

International Recruitment - Austin ISD participates in the Spanish Ministry Visiting International Teacher Program from Region 13. The district recruits an average of 20 dual language teachers annually through this program.

Other initiatives include student teacher recruitment, “grow-your-own” pathways, community partnerships, tailored candidate sourcing, recruitment incentives, foreign visa sponsorship, and an expanded social media presence. Together, these strategies reflect Austin ISD’s commitment to cultivating a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and meets the needs of all learners.