Jaspal Sidhu (Jaspal’s Substack)
The Power of the EFFECTOR Model
Expanding a network of schools across diverse cities and regions presents numerous challenges, but none are more critical than recruiting skilled and dedicated teachers. For any education system to thrive, educators must not only be highly competent but also deeply aligned with the institution’s mission.
Our Group of Schools (SIS Group of Schools and Inspirasi Schools) have successfully expanded our brick-and-mortar footprints into big, mid-sized and emerging cities in the archipelago and beyond, adapting Singapore’s top-ranked education system to the local context. As we expanded systematically through our award-winning Half-Fees Model, we encountered significant difficulties in finding the right educators to maintain the standard of excellence we set.
The Recruitment Dilemma
While larger cities offer access to a broader talent pool, expanding into mid-sized Tier B and smaller Tier C cities—where tuition fees are lower—presents a challenge in attracting teachers due to the limited availability of qualified candidates. Traditional recruitment methods, which prioritize academic qualifications and experience, were proving ineffective in these areas. Additionally, we found teachers from larger urban centers often reluctant to relocate. Even if they were willing, the financial structure of these budget schools in smaller cities does not allow for the higher salaries typically required to incentivize such moves. This prompted us to rethink our recruitment strategy.
Looking Outside the Education Sector for Solutions
Acknowledging that the issue called for an innovative solution, we sought answers beyond the education sector. We partnered with Deloitte (Singapore) to explore how top global companies such as Google, Facebook (Meta) Apple, and Starbucks successfully recruit and train employees as they scale into new markets. There were several relevant learnings. However, one of the most valuable insights we gained was the shared principle among these companies: ‘Hire for attitude, train for skills’.
This insight reshaped our entire recruitment strategy. We realized that in communities with a smaller talent pool, it wasn’t enough to simply search for teachers with the right credentials. Instead, we needed to find individuals who possessed the right attitude and values, those who were deeply committed to improving their communities, and then provide them with the training needed to become exceptional educators.
The EFFECTOR Model: A New Approach to Teacher Recruitment
As we developed our new teacher recruitment strategy, we began to focus on specific traits that we believed would create the most effective educators. This led to the creation of our EFFECTOR model, a set of eight research-backed essential attributes that we now use as the foundation for hiring and training teachers to amplify student-teacher connections for better student outcomes.
- Earnestness – A humble, sincere, and selfless attitude that centers on the well-being of students and the community. Teachers with earnestness are reflective and focused on continuous improvement.
- Funny (Humor) – The ability to engage students through storytelling and making difficult topics relatable. Humor builds a strong connection between teacher and student, turning even the most challenging lessons into enjoyable experiences.
- Firmness – Strong classroom management through positive psychology. Teachers who are firm set clear boundaries and expectations, ensuring a focused and productive learning environment.
- Enthusiasm – A contagious passion for learning that motivates students. Enthusiastic teachers can inspire their students, often embracing technology and new methodologies to keep the classroom dynamic.
- Consistency – The mentor figure, who provides stability and reliability. Students thrive in environments where they know what to expect, and the consistent teacher is always there to guide and support them.
- Timeliness – The ability to provide timely interventions based on feedback and data. Teachers who understand the importance of timely action help students stay on track and achieve their potential.
- Open-mindedness – A willingness to listen to diverse opinions and give a voice to the quiet and the meek. The open-minded teacher fosters a classroom where every student feels heard and respected.
- Research-mindedness – Acknowledgment that there is always another way to teach and learn. Teachers who are researchers continuously seek out new strategies and techniques to improve student outcomes
These are not just lofty, brochure-worthy terms that many organizations often use to boast about their teachers. Through our collaboration with Deloitte, each of these attributes has been meticulously researched, with mapped capabilities and observable behaviors behind them. For example, ‘Funny (Humor)’ is about the art of storytelling—the ability of a teacher to use storytelling skills to make difficult or mundane topics engaging. There is ample research out there that shows each of these eight attributes strengthens student-teacher connections, which are critical for fostering a positive mindset in learners and ultimately improving student outcomes.
The next question we asked ourselves was: Can we instill all eight attributes in a teacher?
Today, with the help of Deloitte, we are developing a comprehensive training program designed to transform community teachers into EFFECTORs through three carefully structured stages—Novice, Intermediate, and Expert. At the Novice stage, teachers familiarize themselves with the EFFECTOR model; it is an essential a socialization and realization phase to understand the power of being and EFFECTOR. The Intermediate stage is where they begin to apply and amplify these attributes, reflecting on what works and what doesn’t. In the process identifying areas that need improvement. Finally, the Expert stage is when these teachers act as mentors and create content for those in earlier stages.
During these training programs, teachers have shown remarkable engagement and a strong commitment to becoming EFFECTORs. This commitment is even more evident in smaller cities, where teachers have a deep understanding of the challenges their communities face. They are personally invested in improving the lives of their own children, their neighbour’ children, and their cities as a whole.
We also drew inspiration from Facebook’s (Meta) use of bootcamps to effectively recruit talent, adapting this strategy for teacher recruitment through the EFFECTOR model. These bootcamps, run in collaboration with local universities and teacher training institutes, have been highly successful in identifying potential EFFECTOR teachers. Today, these bootcamps serve as essential tools for hiring educators in small and emerging cities. Once selected, the recruits undergo a year-long EFFECTOR training program, where they are exposed to various classroom scenarios to hone the eight core attributes. The results have been outstanding participation in these bootcamps, and subsequent training sessions has been incredibly high, highlighting the eagerness of many community teachers to become excellent educators.
Through our learnings and continuous iterations, we have developed a comprehensive playbook that combines best practices from the corporate world with proven educational methodologies. This playbook focuses not just on pedagogy but also on building soft skills that allow teachers to become leaders in their communities.
The Impact of EFFECTOR
The implementation of the EFFECTOR model has had a profound impact on our schools. We are seeing teachers hired through this model consistently demonstrating higher levels of engagement with their students while contributing to the collaborative ecosystem that underpins our entire network.
This collaborative approach in turn has created a culture of continuous improvement, where teachers share their experiences, learn from one another, and implement best practices across all schools.
International validation
In 2019, our work was acknowledged by the World Bank (IFC) and the Financial Times (UK) with a Global Award for the transformative and impactful possibilities it brings.
A Scalable Solution for Education
By focusing on the right attitudes rather than just qualifications, and by embedding teachers into a collaborative, tech-driven ecosystem, we have successfully scaled our schools from bustling capitals to mid-sized cities and even to small and emerging areas, all while maintaining high standards of education. Not only are all of these schools profitable, but students are also performing above international benchmark examinations.
The EFFECTOR model is not just a recruitment tool; it’s a philosophy that empowers teachers to become community leaders and change-makers. It enables schools to scale without sacrificing the quality of education, ensuring that even smaller and emerging cities can access high-quality learning experiences. Additionally, this model can help remote and disadvantaged communities identify educators who can deliver exceptional teaching.
As we continue to expand, the EFFECTOR model will remain at the heart of our strategy for solving the teacher recruitment challenge. It offers a sustainable, scalable approach to hiring that can be replicated across different countries and regions, making quality education accessible to all.
Much of this was also shared on September 16, 2024 in Bangkok during a global leadership gathering from the Cambridge University Press, University of Cambridge. The talk I did was entitled; Code Cracked: Affordable Education, Impact, and Profit.
Source:
https://educationonthebrain.substack.com/p/solving-teacher-recruitment-challenges
