Hello again! I mentioned in my introductory Blog that I want to focus on discussing how PRADCO assists the Educational Services sector in three main areas — Selection, Training and Leadership Development.
This week’s blog deals with Selection. We know that a bad hiring decision results in years of underperformance. A Superintendent recently told me, “When I hire a teacher, it is a million dollar decision for the district, so I need to make sure I am making the best choice I can.” He is correct. It is difficult to dismiss a teacher once they have tenure. Poor teachers can hamper children’s progress and, in some cases, turn them off to lifelong learning.
Dr. Ray Fisman, professor at the Columbia University Business School wrote a great article about teacher selection. He said if districts did a better job of hiring great educators to begin with, test scores for kids would improve and allow for increased learning capabilities. He also indicated that in poor families, kids who have excellent teachers tend to stay in school longer. This can help them increase their lifetime earnings, which helps to end the cycle of poverty.
We all remember a great teacher who created a spark within us and helped us excel in some way. Most likely, he or she had a passion for the subject matter, was motivating, acted with integrity, exhibited great communication skills, set challenging goals, and was flexible in adapting to different situations in the classroom.
I had several teachers that inspired me over the years. In fact, this is a great time to give them a “shout-out” and thank them for all of their help.
Mrs. Doe, [3rd grade] thanks for opening my world to reading [in summer school] and showing me that books can unlock a lifetime of learning. She had the amazing ability to make the “Dick and Jane” books sound like they were Pulitzer Prize winning novels.
Mrs. Hoyer, [10th grade English/Drama club] wrote in my senior yearbook, “a man for all seasons.” She told me I could do anything I put my mind to [that was a year after she screamed at me for not having memorized my lines the night before our Junior Class play opened. I ended up ad-libbing the entire play……and I was one of the leads!]
Mr. Harriman, [12th grade Political Science] taught me to argue with facts, stick to my opinion and have passion for fairness in our world; I still think he was a communist.
Dr. Edmonds, Communications Professor in Graduate School who said…”Hey you’re not as dumb as you look, keep it up, you will do well”!
There are many great teachers like this in our educational system today. How to find the next one is the $$million dollar challenge.
One way to increase your chances of finding great teachers is to use the system that one of our clients use. This Superintendent told me his goal is to become one of the top districts in his state. He has his hiring team use a behavioral based interview process on the front end so he can increase his chances of finding that next great hire. By using behavioral interviewing, he learns how the applicant has handled situations in the past; knowing that past behavior is a good predictor of future performance. Asking questions that deal with hypothetical situations are the poorest way to predict how a candidate will behave in the classroom. Unfortunately, many interviewers ask “what would you do” rather than “what have you done.”
Once he has narrowed the field down to 2 or 3 candidates, he uses an assessment tool that measure behaviors to help him select the best candidate for the job. With the assessment results, he and his committee can make an informed hiring decision. By the way, his District is well on their way of becoming one of the best in the State!
So, what can you do to increase your odds of selecting the best candidates for your open positions? Here are several things you can do to increase your chances of success:
Use behavioral interviewing. Ask open-ended questions and probe for specific examples of what the person did, not what they would do.
- Use a behaviorally based assessment tool that measures the things your institution wants and needs for the 21st century.
- Do not be afraid to pass on your candidate pool and re-cast the net. Keep the search open until you find the right person.
PRADCO has developed a series of tools to help educational organizations select the best candidates for their systems. We have tools specifically designed to assess classified, certified and administrative positions. It is rewarding to get a call from a Superintendent a year after they hired someone and hear that our selection tools were accurate and helped them make a great hiring decision.
I’ll end this blog with this fact — there are many bright, eager and well-suited applicants out there. Your challenge is to find them and hire them for your classrooms. Demanding the best for our kids is a civic and ethical obligation. Anything less does kids, their parents and taxpayers a disservice for many years to come. Remember,
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918) American historian, journalist and novelist.
Why are public schools so bad at hiring good instructors?
By: Dr. Raymond Fisman
