With increasing emphasis being placed on the selection of highly qualified teachers as mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation (NCLB) of 2001, growing numbers of student populations, and the decreasing numbers of teachers entering the profession, it is evident that the teacher selection process must assume a more scientific path. In order to improve the selection process it is necessary to look at many aspects of this procedure. Specifically, what characteristics do teacher candidates possess that would qualify them for a particular position and, to what degree do the school identifiers play in this process? This is a study of the affects various school characteristics have on the selection process of elementary school teachers in one Virginia school district. Through a literature review conducted on the teacher selection process, a common group of thirty teacher characteristics grouped into four domains have been identified that if associated with teachers, have positive effects on instruction. The four domains that have been identified are Instruction, Personality, Orientation to Students, and Qualifications. A survey was utilized to determine the degree to which school administrators and teachers involved in the interview process place on the identified teacher characteristics and domains. Descriptive factors that reflect the differences in the schools for this study have been identified and an impact challenge index has been developed for each school. Descriptive factors utilized to determine the impact challenge index included minority and special population percentages of students, mobility indexes, and free and reduced price lunch percentages. In addition, data distinctive to each school's accreditation status and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) have been determined. ANOVAs were performed to determine if there were significance between variables presented in this study of challenge impact levels, AYP performance, and position. Results of this study are mixed and revealed only a few significant differences and/or substantive meaningful results between variables. / Ed. D.

The hiring of teachers is one of the most important responsibilities of principals (Emley & Ebmeier, 1997; Place & Drake, 1994). When errors in hiring occur, consequences are felt by staff, students, parents, community, and the overall operation and functioning of the school (Emley & Ebmeier, 1997). Unfortunately, not much empirical research has been conducted to date to support how to hire quality teachers effectively. "The research to date has not sufficiently addressed questions such as (1) what criteria need to be assessed; (2) which of those criteria are judged to be the most important by those using them in the process; and (3) what variables influence principal priorities." (Place & Drake, p. 87) The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) has mandated that all teachers meet the definition of being highly qualified. This mandate poses unique challenges to principals in the identification of teachers who possess the characteristics considered essential in the teacher selection process. The purpose of this study was to develop consensus among nationally recognized principals regarding the traits considered essential for teachers, the best interview questions to target these traits, and other sources utilized to identify these essential traits. The research methodology that was used to develop consensus consists of a three-round Delphi study. By definition, the Delphi technique is "a group process involving an interaction between the researcher and a group of identified experts on a specified topic, usually through a series of questionnaires" (Skutsch & Hall, 1973). The knowledge and experiences of the panel of expert principals provided the underlying premise from which group consensus was built. / Ed. D.

Boards of education throughout the country are cognizant of the shortage of well qualified elementary school teachers. There has been considerable competition among school boards for the limited supply of teachers, so much so that teachers have been tempted to move from place to place, standards of teaching proficiency have been lowered, and little relief of the general shortage has been achieved. When a school system has succeeded in filling all teacher vacancies, too frequently complacency reigns until the beginning of another school year. When the quantitative shortage of teachers is compounded by a recognition of the persistent qualitative shortage, the situation becomes critical, and its solution is a challenge to the best professional and lay minds in the country. Boards of education and public school administrators have a major responsibility, one that they dare not ignore. Their chief business is to employ competent teachers and to create a favorable situation in which these capable teachers can work.

Žmogiškųjų išteklių vadybos magistro baigiamojo darbo tema yra aktuali, nes pagrindinis dėmesys yra skiriamas švietimo įstaigoms – gimnazijai X ir vidurinei mokyklai Y. Tarp šių institucijų egzistuoja esminis skirtumas - gimnazijose mokymas yra labiau pagilintas, moksleiviams keliami aukštesni išsilavinimo reikalavimai, suteikiamos platesnės mokymosi galimybės ir perspektyvos nei vidurinėse mokyklose. Pedagogų atrankos lyginimas ir analizė dviejose skirtingose vidurinio mokslo institucijose yra aktualus būdas palyginti ir nustatyti, kaip darbuotojų atrankos procesas skiriasi šiuose dviejuose įstaigų tipuose. Ankstesni autoriai (Aleksiūnaitė, 2009; Puslienė, 2011; Popendikytė-Stonienė, 2011; Petravičienė, 2011; Krasauskaitė, 2009), rašę darbus panašiomis temomis, gilinosi į darbuotojų atrankos specifiką kitose srityse: pašte, savivaldybėse, tarptautinėse įstaigose, atranka buvo tyrinėjama ir socialiniu aspektu. Tačiau nei vienas autorius netyrė švietimo įstaigų, nebuvo analizuojamos atskiros ir konkrečios mokslo institucijos. Būtent gimnazijų ir vidurinių mokyklų pedagogų atranka, palyginimas ir analizė yra nauja ir nepaliesta sritis. Tyrimo problema yra pateikiama teiginiu – nekokybiška, nesėkminga atranka sąlygoja prastą personalą (prastus pedagogus). Tyrimo objektas yra Vilniaus gimnazijos X ir vidurinės mokyklos Y personalas. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti, ar gimnazija X taiko efektyvesnę, kokybiškesnę atranką nei vidurinė mokykla Y. Darbe formuluojami 3 uždaviniai:... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The Master‘s work in Human Resource Management is relevant as an undivided attention is given to educational organisations – Gymnasium X and High School Y. There is a substantial difference between these institutions – teaching is more intense, higher educational standards for students are raised, wider educational possibilities and perspectives are offered in gymnasiums compared to high schools. The comparison and analysis of teacher selection in the two different educational institutions is a relevant way to compare and determine the difference in teacher selection processes in the two types of educational institutions. Previous authors (Aleksiūnaitė, 2009; Puslienė, 2011; Popendikytė-Stonienė, 2011; Petravičienė, 2011; Krasauskaitė, 2009) who have written works in similar subjects, have put more attention to other spheres of employee selection: posts, municipalities, international organisations, the selection process was analysed using the social aspect. There were no authors who would analyse educational institutions, there were no separate and concrete educational organisations analysed. Namely, the selection, comparison and analysis of gymnasium and high school is a new and unnafected sphere. The problem of research is presented using a proposition - ineffective, unsuccessful selection process determines poor personnel (poor teachers). The object of research is the personnel of Vilnius Gymnasium X and High School Y. The objective of research is to determine if Gymnasium... [to full text]

Many school districts and alternative certification programs use standardized interviews such as the TeacherInsight developed by the Gallup Organization. The TeacherInsight is a Web-based interview consisting of multiple choice and Likert-style items that produces a score between 0 and 100. The Gallup Organization claims that it helps hire the best teachers. The study analyzed the relationships between the TeacherInsight scores and the eight Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS) domain scores for 527 teachers. The TeacherInsight scores produced a statistically significant correlation with only one of the eight PDAS domain scores. However, even that correlation (r = 0.14) was weak. All eight PDAS domain scores were only able to account for an additional 1.9% of the variance of TeacherInsight scores, above and beyond what was explained by the teachers' age, gender, years of experience, and highest degree earned. Another finding was that 47.4% of the teachers hired had TeacherInsight scores below the district recommended cutoff score of 67. The findings do not support the ability of the TeacherInsight to identify more effective teachers, based on Professional Development Appraisal System scores. The findings also cast doubt on the extent of consideration that principals in this district give the TeacherInsight scores during the selection process. Recommendations for future studies are provided.

Research has shown the value of using children's literature for reading instruction. As teachers incorporate more children's literature into their programs, questions arise as to the choices they are making about which books to use for literacy instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of children's literature in two literacy activities, teacher read aloud and literature circles, in grade four through six classrooms in Central School District. Teachers from this group were asked to complete a survey for each children's literature book they used for teacher read aloud and literature circles during one school year. A descriptive analysis summarizing the characteristics of the information collected in the surveys was conducted. Results indicated there was variability in the number and titles of books the sample teachers used in their classrooms, some books were read in more than one classroom, fiction and chapter books were chosen more often than informational or picture books. The sample teachers selected books for a variety of reasons, with the greatest consideration being what they thought the students would like. Teachers selected books for literature circles from the schools' guided reading libraries most often, and teachers chose books for teacher read aloud based on their own likes and according to other teachers recommendations. The teacher's responses to the research questions reflected heavy reliance on the contents of the school guided reading library to support literature circle reading groups. While the development of the guided reading library in each of the sample schools has created a resource for teachers, the contents may limit the genres of children's literature that teachers use for literacy instruction. If, indeed, teachers depend upon the guided reading library for the majority of the books they use in literature circles, the quality and quantity of the books in the guided reading library may warrant further study.

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The purpose of this study was to determine whether College of Education graduates who sought and secured employment as teachers differed on the academic variables of grade point average, student teaching evaluation, and professional recommendations from those who were not successful at securing such employment. A comprehensive review of related literature was conducted, focusing on three aspects of the employment situation: (1) teacher supply and demand, (2) the selection process, and (3) the role played by academic criteria in the selection process. A study was conducted in which students who were successful in finding teaching positions were compared with those who were not successful, on the academic variables of grade point average, student teaching evaluation, and professional recommendations. Demographic data were also collected and analyzed. The subjects were sixty-three randomly selected students from the May 19 80 graduating class of the College of Education, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas. For purposes of statistical analysis, the students were divided into the following three groups: Group A (those who successfully sought employment as teachers), Group B (those who sought such employment but were not successful), and Group C (those who did not seek employment as teachers).

This study investigated the legislation (the Education Laws Amendment Act, Act 24 of 2005) dealing with teacher selection and appointment. It focused specifically on the principles equity, redress and representivity changes in legislation. Not only do these principles encourage the equal advancement of everybody’s interests but they also serve as a means of establishing an appropriate balance between conflicting interests. The primary purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the racial group to which the school governing body members belong had an effect on the way in which they interpreted and implemented legislation, and if so, to what these could be ascribed. Five schools’ governing bodies in the Tshwane South District of the Gauteng Province were interviewed using semi structured, open-ended interviews to investigate the extent to which their staff composition has changed as a result of the new legislation. A qualitative research paradigm allowed me to adopt a constructivist/interpretivist approach to data collection and analysis. Indications from data were that the understanding and interpretation of SGBs across racial divides are influenced by their different cultural and linguistic preferences, their different political and educational histories and the contexts in which they work. These differences indicated that deeply entrenched racial stereotypes and strong attachments to a specific school culture, language or ethnic traditions could be influencing the final decision on short listing taken by the SGBs represented in my study. Suggestions are that legislation implementation should be addressed at all stages; that is, reviewing performance, considering reasons for governance difficulty or failure, designing alternative interventions, and interpreting evaluation results as an intervention practice for legislation success. Based on my research findings I would therefore suggest that the key reason for the lack of transformation in the staff composition of public schools is the short period of time that has elapsed since the promulgation of the Education Laws Amendment Act of 2005. Given that transformation is a social process and that stereotypes are key obstacles to transformation, I believe that, as far as the schools in my sample are concerned, their staff compositions will eventually change. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

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