Teacher Hiring: The Disconnect Between Principals’ Perceptions, Processes and Research Based Best Practice

Student success is highly dependent on teacher quality, therefore; it is imperative that principals hire only the most outstanding teachers. This study investigated school hiring processes in order to determine the extent to which research based practices are utilized in districts of various configurations. Data was gathered using a 42 question electronic survey e-mailed to principals in ten states in the southern and western regions of the United States. Preliminary analysis indicates that in all types of districts the principal is the primary decision maker about the structure of the hiring processes including candidate selection. The vast majority of principals believe they are using research based processes, yet responses to specific questions indicate both structure and decision making criteria are not aligned with practices most likely to identify candidates who will have a high impact on student achievement. Most principals are confident in their ability to hire high quality teachers but report extremely limited training through one-time workshops and graduate courses. This research is limited by the distribution to only ten states in two geographic regions but implies that there is a disconnect between principals’ perceptions of their hiring practices and the actual alignment of process and outcomes to research based best practices

Teacher Hiring During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated teacher hiring practices in K-12 public schools during the spring and summer of 2020 when the response to the COVID-19 pandemic required school closures, social distancing, and quarantines. Given that student success is highly dependent on teacher quality, principals must hire only teachers able to facilitate high levels of student growth. Most traditional hiring processes rely on face-to-face interactions to determine teacher skill and fit, but school leaders were forced to create new selection processes when in-person interactions were limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research sought to uncover how teacher selection and hiring changed to accommodate school closures, including technology used, timelines, interview structure, and types of questions asked of candidates. The investigator sought information regarding school leaders\u27 perceptions of the efficacy of their hiring processes, significant challenges, and how the pandemic hiring experience may change future teacher selection processes. The investigator used semi-structured interviews to gather information and perceptions from school administrators. Data were analyzed through a process of coding interview transcripts to identify themes that represented common ideas. Themes were assigned to three groups: expected, surprising, and unusual. Data analysis is currently underway and will be available by the conference date