The Talent Challenge

We asked school administrators and board members attending one of our sessions yesterday at the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) Leadership Conference in Bangkok to select the most salient challenges for their schools from a menu of options. So far, 56 responses are in the database, and one item—"recruiting, retaining, and compensating faculty and staff"—was selected by 73% of respondents. The next nearest item—"creating a 21st Century program and curriculum/improving teaching and learning"—received endorsement from 46% of respondents. A few points behind this was “managing enrollment/meeting enrollment goals.”

The data align with our anecdotal impression that talent is the single most significant challenge facing private, independent and international schools. We see this as also presenting an opportunity to rethink hiring, compensation, and how we recruit. Clearly, our old models of these activities do not match the current environment.