In order to attract and build a more diverse pool of applicants for open faculty positions, including four at U-High and others across the schools, the administration is moving up the timeline of the annual recruitment process.

According to Lab Schools Director Charlie Abelmann, the diversity recruitment efforts of past years were less successful because of delays in advertising and starting the interview process. The administration and departments worked to confirm and advertise vacancies earlier in the year, Dr. Abelmann said.

“The later you are in the market, the harder it is to get a robust pool of candidates,” Dr. Abelmann said. “If you want that robustness to include candidates of color, or other aspects of diversity, it’s just more difficult later.”

Dr. Abelmann said he intends to become involved in the recruitment process much earlier in his role as director, differing from his predecessors who were only involved in the final stages of the search.

“One of the things I’m going to do is ask the selection committees, before they finalize the list of who they’re inviting to campus, to be able to see that group of people,” he said. “By involving myself earlier in the process, I can be more informed and help influence the hiring.”

In the high school, the search for candidates to fill English and History teaching positions and two counseling positions is already in motion, owing to the moved-up recruiting timeline. Principal Stephanie Weber, other administrators and faculty members plan to attend hiring conferences, including one in late January, that focus on diversity hiring in independent schools. Hiring conferences give both schools and teachers the chance to network and allows schools to interview potential faculty members.

“In all hiring in the high school, we have the commitment and the concern that we really need to be more successful in bringing in and hiring more candidates of color,” Ms. Weber said. “Not only are there very highly qualified people, but it’s also important for the educational environment for everybody — for students of color, for white students, for educators — to really work with a diverse population that brings diverse perspectives.”