Principles of Effective Teacher Hiring
Adapted from: Kenneth D. Peterson (2002). Effective
teacher hiring: A guide to getting the best. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
1. It's worthwhile to hire the best. Candidates vary tremendously
in quality. Good teachers are keys to student learning, educational
reform, curriculum design and implementation, parent and community
satisfaction, and school district morale. Research shows that
teacher effects most often are 10X the effects of curriculum,
school organization, testing programs, or "teacher proof"
approaches to school improvment. Lower quality teachers are more
expensive, produce lower levels of student learning, and erode
morale.
2. Good hiring requires a complicated selection system.
Selection should feature a large candidate pool, attention to
increasing minority applications, stagewise reduction of applicants
using different kinds of evidence of candidate quality, involvement
of classroom teachers, multiple interviews, and extensive use
of forms and record keeping.
3. Not every educator and school district hires well. Good
teacher selectors come from every district role: central office
administrator, personnel director, school administrator, teacher,
specialty teacher. Mere role position does not guarantee good
hiring person. Not everyone who thinks she can hire well in fact
does select the best. A good track record of hiring is the only
way to know how well a person selects. It takes a good selector
to know a good selector. Training helps a great deal, but will
not move a person into the best hirer category. Hirers need to
be monitored for their effectiveness.
4. Teacher hiring must be tied in with district planning.
A new teacher must do more than just fill the current vacancy.
She should bring the skills, experiences, and attitudes that help
move the whole system move in the directions it needs to go.
5. Teacher hirers should sell their schools or districts.
The best new teachers will go to the most attractive settings.
There is competition for good teachers. Districts that are unaware
or inept lose out.
6. A fair and lawful hiring system is a must.