Management of the school and the educational process is possible only if the entire school community is included in the management process. Currently, the management team’s permanent composition is not only the leader and his deputies but also teachers who are delegated administrative powers. Therefore, the staff hiring process requires careful examination of candidates and their skills to ensure that relevant professionals are hired and retained. This paper will examine the issues and barriers in the current teacher hiring process and discuss steps that can be recommended to enhance the staff hiring protocols.
One mistake that is currently being made in the teachers’ hiring process is the lack of proper human capital systems and innovations that would create a targeted and performance-based evaluation of potential candidates. Analysts argue that educational organizations still rely on assessing static application materials, such as resumes, cover letters, and proof of certifications, on evaluating people instead of looking for a KPIs-based achievement approach (Konoske-Graf et al., 2016). Moreover, according to research, school principals do not strategically hire diverse teachers or create an inclusive school environment to retain them.
Another barrier that hinders the staff hiring process in schools is the lack of funding to facilitate different approaches to teachers’ recruitment process. Schools cannot afford to establish online applicant tracking systems or hire HR managers to organize the recruitment process (Behrstock & Coggschall, 2009). Thus, it all comes down to studying the employment records and interviewing candidates by headteachers or school leaders who have no time or specialized knowledge for a qualified interview, which is more than a financial issue.
There are also mistakes in the teacher recruitment process related to the assessment of fit and filling the positions with candidates who might not be the best teachers for particular jobs. The school hiring system does not have relevant measures and models to evaluate a teacher’s skills and find the right position. The situation sometimes results in an unsatisfactory teacher retention rate because shortage areas are filled with candidates with irrelevant knowledge, or teachers are placed on out-of-field assignments (Behrstock & Coggschall, 2009). As a result of the lack of measurement systems, teachers leave soon and are drawn by other educational organizations.
To address the barriers and problems in the staff hiring process in schools, several critical steps can be recommended to ensure that new teachers are satisfied with their position and retained for a long-term period. First, it is essential to allocate financial resources to train headteachers and school leaders to source and identify the best candidates with specific skills that fit the organization (Konoske-Graf et al., 2016). This step requires spending some funds on an online applicant tracking system and training of the hiring committee, but it would help save time and resources in the long term. Second, reforming the recruitment process is needed to prioritize effectiveness, and performance-based achievements over seniority and certificates teachers have (Pagan, 2020). The ability to use technologies that emerge nowadays and facilitate the education process according to established KPIs should be valued more than the number of years a teacher spent in school.
Third, a revision of the hiring committee can help principals and senior teachers spend their time and energy only on valuable candidates and screen other teachers with the use of specialists who are not the final decision-makers (Behrstock & Coggschall, 2009). Finally, collaboration with external stakeholders, unions, and districts can help identify priorities of parties and find candidates outside that would be eager to stay in the organization in the long term (Behrstock & Coggschall, 2009). School management is a collective activity that relies heavily on school leaders that can improve different processes. Therefore, it is crucial to help school principals choose the best and candidates, facilitate the hiring process, and retain successful teachers.
References
Behrstock, E. & Coggschall, J. (2009). Key Issue: teacher hiring, placement, and assignment practices.National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. Web.
Konoske-Graf, A., Partelow, L., & Benner, M. (2016). To attract great teachers, school districts must improve their human capital systems. Center for American Progress. Web.
Pagan, B. (2020). Analysis of the hiring process to ensure that the best teacher candidate is selected for a small Southwestern Pennsylvania school district. Duquesne University. Web.