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Green Primary School:
Teacher Selection Process and Recommendations
Jeremy Brueck November 21, 2006
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master of education degree in educational administration at the University of Akron
Part A.
Green Primary School is quietly nestled off Interstate 77 in southern
Summit County, Ohio. As one of four elementary buildings in the Green Local
School District, it serves all district students in grades 1-2, which amounts to
roughly 650 pupils. Green Primary School is a state of the art facility that was
recently constructed to help relieve overcrowded conditions in other district
buildings. Green Local Schools is somewhat unique in that rather than having
several “community” elementary schools all buildings are based on grade levels.
This means that no matter where you live in the district, students are bussed to
the appropriate grade-level building. I recently spoke with the building principal,
Mrs. Debra Kennedy, regarding the teacher hiring process at Green Primary
School.
Mrs. Kennedy normally knows she will have to fill a teaching vacancy by
the first of April. Retirements and resignations of current employees are reported
to the Green Local School district through the use of an intent form. Once she
knows there will be a vacancy, Mrs. Kennedy fills out the board approved form to
request that a job posting be created. Once the superintendent approves the
job-posting request, his secretary types up the posting, which includes the
application dates, job responsibilities, job description and contact information.
The opening is posted internally for a week and is then posted on the district
website. Mrs. Kennedy indicated that the public posting is normally on the
website by the first of May when she is dealing with the replacement of a retiree
or resignation.
The job posting is normally open for two weeks. During this time, potential
candidates are asked to submit a resume and cover letter to the principal. Mrs.
Kennedy said she often receives up to 150 resumes for one job opening. When
dealing with this quantity of applicants, she files each resume alphabetically and
makes sure to mark it with the date it was received. It is the district’s policy to
keep all resumes received for certified positions on file for one calendar year
from the date of receipt.
With so many resumes to evaluate, Mrs. Kennedy uses a team of
teachers and another district administrator to help her screen the resumes. They
scrutinize each resume and score it based on a checklist. This procedure is
completed within 2 weeks of the closing of the posting period. Using the data
from this the team identifies the top 25% of the resumes and those applicants
move on to the interview screening process. Candidates who are not moving on
in the interview process are sent a letter thanking them for their interest in the
position and notifying them that their resume will be kept on file for a year.
The interview screening process usually begins in May and takes about a
week. Mrs. Kennedy and her team of teachers and another administrator
conduct 10-15 minute screening sessions. The screening consists of a short
interview where the applicant shares their educational background and
experience and also answers a job knowledge question and a situational
question. After the applicant leaves, each team member fills out an evaluation
form. These forms are used as the basis for determining the top 10 applicants
for the position. Mrs. Kennedy’s secretary then contacts the top 10 candidates to
schedule a more in depth interview. For those not moving past the preliminary
screening, a letter is sent thanking them for their interest in the position and
notifying them that their resume will be kept on file for a year.
The next step in the GPS hiring process is a more in depth interview of
each of the top ten candidates. The same individuals involved in the screening
conduct the interviews, which usually last between 30 minutes to an hour in
length. Mrs. Kennedy explained that the interview team meets before the
interviews to go over the job responsibilities and establish a list of questions they
will ask the interviewee. She noted that desired responses to the questions are
also discussed during the team meeting. Team members also discuss who will
ask each question and in what order they will ask them before conducting any
interviews. During each interview, team members keep notes of the responses
of each applicant. After each interview concludes they discuss their notes
concerning the candidates responses. After all interviews are complete, the
team decides on the top two candidates, which they recommend to the Director
of Curriculum for a final interview. For those not moving to the final interview, a
letter is sent thanking them for their interest in the position and notifying them
that their resume will be kept on file for a year. The superintendent’s secretary
calls the two finalists to schedule the interviews. Mrs. Kennedy noted that this is
where the team’s participation in the hiring process ends. She said that after the
final interviews she talks with the superintendent and curriculum director about
the candidates but that they make the final decision. Once the superintendent
and curriculum director make the decisions, Mrs. Kennedy calls the first choice to
see if they are interested accepting the job offer. Once she verifies that the first
choice has accepted, she then calls the candidate who was not chosen to inform
them of the hiring decision.
One of the crucial components to the Green Primary School’s hiring
process involves an interview team. Evidence of this commitment to collaborative
decision-making can be seen in several areas of Mrs. Kennedy’s hiring practices.
Initially, she creates a team to help her evaluate resumes using a checklist. She
then involves the team in the interview screening process where they again
collect data using an evaluation form. More evidence of her shared decision-
making can be seen in the meeting she has with her team before the interview of
the top ten candidates, especially in the creation of the interview questions and
the discussion of the desired responses. I believe that Mrs. Kennedy values the
input of other school stakeholders when evaluating potential employee and is
committed to using a collaborative model of decision-making in her hiring
practice. However, I wonder how effective this collaborative approach is working
in this school district when the final decision regarding hiring is left to just two
people. This final step in the hiring process seems to pose a potential barrier to
the success of Mrs. Kennedy’s decentralized approach since it culminates in a
more hierarchical selection procedure.
Part B.
In a time when schools are providing students with more services than just
the 3 R’s, identifying and hiring the most qualified teacher candidates is vital to
helping all students achieve at the highest levels. School services also impact a
wide variety of stakeholders, not just students, but staff, parents and community
members. Good hiring requires a selection system that helps the staff and
community to appreciate the importance of teaching. Teacher hiring should also
be tied in with district planning. A new teacher must do more than just fill the
current vacancy. They should bring the skills, experiences, and attitudes that
help move the whole system in the directions it needs to go. The following plan
outlines a teacher selection process that features a large and diverse candidate
pool, stage wise 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. The timeline of the plan follows the
calendar year rather than a “school-year” calendar.
Beginning in January, the building principal begins assembling a teacher
selection advisory panel with the help of the district superintendent. The purpose
of this panel is not to hire teachers, but to recommend hiring policy. This will be
a standing team that will consist of the principal, a first grade teacher, a second
grade teacher, a parent and a community member who does not have a child in
the school. This is the panel that will review and update job models to describe
the general nature and level of work expected from classroom teachers and
make sure that the essential functions of the job are aligned with the district’s
vision and mission.
Once the principal is aware of all the upcoming retirements and/or
resignations, which is usually by the beginning of April, the teacher applicant
screening team begins their work. The screening team consists of the guidance
counselor, a special education teacher and the superintendent’s secretary. This
team creates the job posting, working with the teacher selection advisory panel to
make sure the correct job description and essential functions are included in the
job model. The superintendent’s secretary then posts the opening on the district
website the second week in April. The posting period is open for response one
week to current employees and then for the final 2 weeks of the month for all
applicants.
After the position is posted, the screening team is charged with the task of
collecting all the submitted teaching applications, resumes, transcripts,
certification documents and reference letters and organizing them for the teacher
selection committee. A file is created for each applicant and marked with the
date it arrives. These files will be used later in the selection process. The
purpose of this organizational procedure is to ensure that all applicants are
properly licensed for the position that is open before the teacher selection
committee conducts the first round of interviews. The screening process would
be complete by the end of April.
Beginning in May, the teacher selection committee is ready to go to work.
This group consists of the principal, 3 teachers (grade level teacher, special ed
teacher and reading specialist), one cafeteria or custodial staff member, 2
parents, and one community member who does not have a child in school. This
is the group who will actually select the new teacher. Appropriate organizations,
such as teachers' organizations and the PTA will nominate the members of this
committee. Principals would be used to nominate the students, if they are going
to be involved. The teacher selection committee will answer to the advisory
panel, and ultimately recommend the top candidates to the superintendent. The
main task of the teacher selection committee is to condense the number of
applicants for the available position, first to a group of 8-10 through a pre-
interview process then to a priority ranking of the top three candidates after a
more in-depth interview.
The pre-interviews will take place the first three weeks of May. The exact
length of this process could vary depending on how large the pool of candidates
was. The pre-interview is a 10-15 minute meeting that is used to evaluate the
candidate’s personal experience and professional knowledge. Pre-interviews will
be scheduled on multiple days and at various times to accommodate the different
schedules of the applicants.
Prior to the pre-interviews, the teacher selection committee will meet to
review the data collected by the teacher applicant screening team and for training
on the hiring process. During this meeting the team also determines the job-
specific functions, such as curriculum knowledge, classroom management and
motivational techniques, and the non job-specific functions, like commitment,
attitude, and professional growth goals, which the team is looking for in the
applicants. These criteria are used to design a candidate evaluation form that
the team will use during each of the pre-interviews. This evaluation form will
contain a scoring mechanism that the team members will use to score each of
the applicants during the pre-interview. Upon completion of the pre-interviews,
the teacher selection team will review the candidate evaluation forms to
determine the top 8-10 candidates who will progress in the interview process.
Those applicants who will not receive a selection interview will be notified
through a letter from the building principal thanking them for their interest in the
position and notifying them that their resume will be kept on file for a year. A
member of teacher applicant screening team will notify the candidates who are
moving on and will also schedule the selection interviews.
The selection interviews allow each applicant an equal opportunity to
secure a position with the district. These interviews will be longer in length,
ranging from 30-45 minutes, and will help determine which of the highly qualified
candidates is best suited to fill the open position through the use of a structured
format. These interviews provide the teacher selection committee an opportunity
to examine the view of each candidate regarding job-specific functions and non
job-specific functions. Selection interviews will occur during the final week in
May.
Before the selection interviews, the teacher selection committee will meet
again for training and group dialogue. Although the selection interview questions
will be similar to the pre-interview questions, they will be more detailed and
inquisitive. The selection committee will carefully craft situational, simulation, job
knowledge, job sample and work required type questions for the selection
interviews and discuss the desired responses to each.
Examples of these types of questions would be: You have a student who
continues to misbehave and be insubordinate, what steps would you take to
solve the problem? My son has ADHD, how do you plan to accommodate his
needs? Explain cooperative learning. How would you incorporate
multiculturalism into your classroom? How do you plan to enhance your
professional skills in the future?
During the selection interviews, members of the teacher selection
committee will document all interviews by taking notes. These should include the
rationale for the applicant's final appraisal, along with direct quotes from the
candidate. The notes should include to job-related issues only. After completing
all of the selection interviews, each committee member would rank order the top
three candidates. Group discussion of the top candidates will ensue, which will
ultimately result in a group consensus of the top three candidates. These
candidates will be recommended for hire to the district superintendent, who
makes final hiring decisions in Green Local Schools.
The superintendent’s secretary will contact the top three candidates to
schedule their final interview with the district superintendent during the first week
of June. Those candidates who are not in the top three will be contacted by the
building principal to thanking them for their interest in the position, explaining that
the position has been filled and notifying them that their resume will be kept on
file for a year and considered for future openings. The district superintendent will
make the final decision and recommend the top candidate for hire to the board of
education by their regularly scheduled meeting on the third Monday in June.
Board approval of the hire will complete the hiring process.
The stakeholders of Green Primary must be in agreement regarding the
importance of effective teacher selection to have a successful school. In order to
secure the best possible educators and meet school needs, all participants in the
hiring process must be strongly committed to the task. The hiring framework
outlined above provides for checks and balances at every turn and guarantees to
parents and community members a voice in the teacher selection process.
References
Peterson, K. D., Stevens, D., & Ponzio, R. C. (1998). Variable data sources in
teacher evaluation. Journal of Research and Development in Education.
v31 (3), p123-32.
Seyfarth, John T. (2004). Human resources management for effective schools
(4th Edition). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Stronge, J. H., & Hindman, J. L. (2003). Hiring the best teachers. Educational
Leadership. v60 (8), p48-52.