There is a significant shortage of full-time teachers around the country these days. So, to keep classrooms staffed, schools use substitute teachers to fill in for teachers when they are sick or can’t come to school. However, substitute teaching jobs are tough to recruit for, manage, and fill. One complication is that quite often, a teacher absence isn’t discovered until that morning when schools scramble to post an opening. This uncontrollable and unavoidable reality coupled with the dramatic shortage of substitutes who are qualified and ready to go is a significant problem in our nation’s schools.

The process of how to fill short-term or even long-term teacher absences with substitute teachers has not changed in 50+ years. Even the modern communication modes of emails, text messages and robo-phone calls are not any more effective at solving the problem for the angst-driven and uncertain process of finding substitute teachers.

Enter Swing. Swing brings a 21st century solution to a 20th century problem. Swing leverages social communities and technology to not only improve communication but put power back into the hands of substitutes and the schools that need them. Instead of scrambling to find anyone who will answer the phone – or for the sub – being completely in the dark about if there is only one opening today or ten, now both stakeholders have power: schools have power to match the best person for a particular need, and subs have the power to pick the best job for their day or week ahead.

For these reasons and more, Swing Education earned a Cool Tool Award (finalist) for “Best Administrative Solution” as part of The EdTech Awards 2024 from EdTech Digest. Learn more. 

The post Swing Education appeared first on EdTech Digest.