The problem of finding good teachers is a little closer to being solved, thanks to new Web sites dedicated to helping schools and prospective teachers connect more efficiently, eSchool News reports.
Before, schools had to run ads in newspapers and travel to job fairs to find their educators, often wasting time and money. Schools can now pay a flat rate at a fraction of the cost of paper advertising and receive national publicity on a Web site.
Several new sites help ease the search for new teachers. However, despite the common goal, each site offers a unique way of getting the job done.
Rather than provide information on job openings, JobsinSchools.com instead allows teachers to post their listings to the school system of their choice. The teachers can also purchase information about the selected schools to make sure the system is right for them.
Another site, SchoolJobs.com offers a forum of job postings offered by various schools. Here, prospective educators can sign on and browse the list of opportunities from around the country.
The National School Applications Network (NSAN) also has created an online recruiting effort with its Regional Education Applicant & Placement (REAP) program. This site allows a teacher to submit an application to a master database, accessible to all of the members of the state's REAP program. According to George Simpson, deputy executive director for the Cooperating School Districts of St. Louis -- the group that created REAP -- the site surpasses any other because its motivation is primarily employment-based and not commercially influenced.
According to the eSchool report, the original REAP system in Missouri has been operating for just over two years. There have been 9,000 applicants, 4,000 of which have received positions. SchoolJobs.com went live in February and has about 100 district memberships so far, representing about 1,000 schools.
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