NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL

VOLUME 31, NUMBER 3, 2014

SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ROLES

IN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS
Katharine Bridget Bourke
Garland Independent School District
Casey Graham Brown
University of Texas at Arlington
ABSTRACT
This study sought to ascertain the perspectives of public secondary school
principals on the process they utilize when hiring teachers. In their discussion
of the hiring process, the principals noted that they found that structured
processes promote better hiring decisions. The administrators stressed the
importance of allowing enough time for the process as well as checking
references and verifying their accuracy.

Introduction

ertified, highly qualified, dedicated teachers are sought each

year and decisions that impact the hiring of such teachers must
be made by knowledgeable leaders. Todd Whitaker (2007)
enthusiastically addressed how administrators can contend
successfully with the challenges of hiring by implementing the
successful strategies of the most effective principals and assistant
principals; administrators will benefit from the knowledge of their
peers. Whitaker (2007) observed that while the world changes around
them, some educators fail to transition with it. He insisted that the key
to this important administrative growth is self-reflection.
To make hiring decisions, school leaders must process a great
deal of information. Discussing that very notion while testifying
before the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning,
and Competitiveness, Committee on Education and Labor, House
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Representatives, George A. Scott (2007), Director of Education,

Workforce, and Income Security Issues, noted, Teachers are the
single largest resource in our nations elementary and secondary
education system (p. 1). Scott stated further under oath, While the
hiring and training of teachers is primarily the responsibility of state
and local governments and institutions of higher education, the federal
investment in enhancing teacher quality is substantial and growing (p.
1).
Purpose of the Study
The hiring process is one through which both a school and a
teacher candidate are able to determine whether a mutually beneficial
work relationship may or may not be established. Unfortunately, the
literature on principal hiring practices is diverse, but not extensive
(Mason & Schroeder, 2010, p. 186). The authors purpose of this
phenomenological study was to investigate the views of secondary
school principals on the hiring process and the interview strategies
they employed.
Theoretical Framework
How do administrators know which behaviors to seek in their
hires? They must look not at similarities, but differences. Great
teachers take attendance, but so do marginal ones (Whitaker, 2007).
Thus, the path to improvement lies in deducing that which sets the
successful apart from the pack. Whitaker indicated that one of the
ways that great principals distinguish themselves is through the people
they allow to work for them (Whitaker, 2003). Great teachers make a
great school, so what does a principal do to improve his or her school?
According to Whitaker (2003), a principal has two options: hire better
teachers or improve the ones he or she has.

Leadership

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The transformational leadership style, philosophically, is

pragmatic at its very base. In organizations, the pragmatists approach
is a useful one as it is about doing what works. Pragmatist John
Dewey (1987) stated education is the fundamental method of social
progress and reform . . . . .through education society can formulate its
own purposes, can organize its own means and resources, and thus
shape itself with definiteness and economy in the direction . . . . it
wishes to move (pp. 16-17). Otherwise, the organization cannot be its
most useful. Ronald Heifetz (1994) acknowledged the need for a
practical approach to leadership when he wrote that in a service
organization there is a need for viewing problems both practically, by
applying the most current theory and research to everyday problems,
and prescriptively, by not just hearing the issue at hand, but also
interpreting it correctly (p. 4).
Leaders who espouse a trait theory style of leadership (Locke
& Kirkpatrick, 1991; Tead, 1929) may approach hiring from a very
different vantage point. According to Stogdill (1948), the traits
included within this leadership style are innate intelligence,
dominance, applicable knowledge, self-confidence, and both high
energy and activity. Because trait theory leaders believe that they
possess superior traits and characteristics that distinguish them from
their followers, their self-confidence makes them autonomous in their
decision-making. Thus, a hiring principal leading from this mindset
may favor individual interviews over panel interviews and be willing
to assume responsibility for such decisions (Stogdill, 1974). Trait
theory leaders may perceive similar traits in applicants and hire
accordingly.
The leadership styles of principals influence hiring just as the
presence of leadership is an important quality in teachers they seek to
hire. Steven Farr (2010/2011), chief knowledge officer of Teach for
America, noted that the most effective teachers show great leadership
by setting big, but measurable, goals, engaging and motivating
students through relationships, tenaciously planning with the end goal

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in mind, monitoring and adjusting effectively for continual

improvement, and tirelessly striving for student success. Leadership of
this kind may be demonstrated in numerous ways. While veteran
teachers may have honed their leadership in the classroom, new
teachers may have shown their aptitude for effective leadership in their
student teaching, previous work experience, or collegiate activities.
Effective teaching and leadership in the classroom, according to
Stronge (2002), comes from a teachers movement from novice to
master teacher which takes time, often spanning from 5 to 8 years.
Dance of the Lemons
Leadership styles are not the only influences upon the hiring
process. Another common factor in educational circles is known as
the dance of the lemons or the turkey trot (Bludworth, 1996; Bridges,
1992; Hall, 1995; Menuey, 2005). This phenomenon, usually
connected to employee dismissals, has a collateral effect upon hiring.
Because dismissal rarely stems from a single unforgivable, egregious
error . . . termination is based upon a pattern of mistakes and failure
that persists over periods ranging from several months to several
years (Bridges, 1984, pp. 7-8).
Administrators, hoping to curtail the impact of an incompetent
or marginal teacher, may give a favorable reference to a teacher who is
mediocre at best. Schweizer (1998) described the practice occurring as
a means by which to save both time and money in which an
administrator will cut a deal with the union in which he agrees to give
a bad teacher a satisfactory rating in return for union help in
transferring the teacher to another district (p. 28). Sometimes the
phenomenon is not brought about by union pressure, but by tenure
policies which safeguard experienced teachers.
The combination of employment laws and teacher contracts
can make teacher dismissal an arduous task that administrators seek to
circumvent by passing an unsuccessful teacher to another district. In

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so doing, one districts problem is solved, while the problem teacher

gets quietly passed along to someone else (Schweizer, 1998, p. 28).
If not informed from the outset that this has been the case, an
administrator could end up hiring an incompetent teacher. The oft
practiced, but seldom discussed, phenomenon illuminates the need for
administrators to seek and obtain several references on potential
teaching candidates.
Reviewing Applications
Whatever the avenue of locating prospective new teachers,
administrators must next be able to take the next big step: reviewing
applications. According to Quezada (2004), a set of basic skills is
needed in order to secure a teaching position. Quezadas work detailed
the major components candidates should address in their applications:
reflecting and writing one's teaching philosophy/education platform,
cover letter/letter of employment, resume, and references. These same
items should be examined by principals to gain insight into each
applicants abilities and skills.
A final step in the hiring process is the personal interview by
the campus principal. Liu and Johnson (2006) found that teacher
hiring decisions have far-reaching consequences for a school and its
students and faculty. The researchers examined how new teachers
were hired and explored whether the process led to good matches
between the individuals and their schools. Considering that
interviewing is a two-way process, Liu and Johnson indicated that it is
important to determine the extent to which the hiring process provides
opportunities for prospective teachers and schools to collect rich
information about, and form accurate impressions of, one another.
Unfortunately, the data of their study revealed that the majority of new
teachers were hired through a decentralized, school-based process that
was information-poor, and at times not completed until the school year
had already started (Liu & Johnson, 2006).
Methods

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This study utilized qualitative research and semi-structured

interviews. Thirteen principals from three convenience-sampled
school districts participated in anonymous interviews that were
transcribed and analyzed for overall themes. Cross-checking of themes
was conducted by a panel of qualitative researchers to ensure validity
and thoroughness. Emerging themes were discussed and compared to
existing literature on the subject. This study was designed to elicit
public secondary principals hiring process and underlying hiring
priorities as they interview and hire teachers.
Findings
Of the litany of roles and responsibilities held by public
secondary principals, perhaps none is more influential than that of
hiring teachers. Illustrating this point, Marzano (2003) noted, we live
in an era when research tells us that the teacher is probably the single
most important factor affecting student achievementat least the
single most important factor that we can do much about (p. 1).
Structured Hiring Processes
The principals noted that they found that structured processes
promoted better hiring decisions. In agreement with Stronge and
Hindman (2003), principals noted the need for interviewers [to]
develop and implement an interview protocol (p. 51). Thus, given the
inherent need to hire well, principals found that through a solid hiring
process scrutiny is increased. They further noted that the process itself
forces greater accountability and prevents arbitrary, autocratic,
employment.
While the principals agreed that a strong process is crucial,
they also noted that there is no one right way to hire. Stronge and
Hindman (2003) described a typical school districts process for

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hiring; conversely, however, study participants offered a veritable

cornucopia of paths to successful hiring. For example, most agreed
that finding fit through collaborative interviews of a number of
applicants was most beneficial. However, one dissenting school leader
found singular success through a solo approach to applicant screening
and selection.
Principals Resisted External Pressure and Favoritism
Principals and pressure and inherently linked. From test scores
and accountability to parents and personnel, school administrators face
pressures every day. Howe and Townsend (2000) stated that principals
need to be skilled in dealing with a range of people, issues, and forces
that are represented by individuals, by factions with single agenda
interests, and by groups focused upon some specific cause that is at
cross-purposes with the school (p. 10). The theme among principals
regarding pressure and favoritism, however, was one of recognition
but resistance.
All administrators with the exception of one affirmed that they
had indeed experienced external pressure to interview applicants.
Reasons ranged from policy to politics to personal. Hannaway (1993)
discussed four [such] sources of political pressure . . . . external
funding authorities (federal and state), teachers' unions, parents, and
the pressures commonly associated with urban and minority political
environments (p. 152). Several school leaders noted that they were
required by district policy to interview minority candidates without
regard to applicants qualities. Others referred, again, to displacement
list member interviews being mandated prior to hiring. A displacement
list occurs when a school has a reduction in force of teachers who are
still under contract with the school district, which some districts refer
to as a priority hiring pool (The New Teacher Project, 2011). District
politics were said to have lead to numerous courtesy interviews by
principals. When referred applicants by peers, district leaders, and
board members, secondary principals felt pressured to interview
teaching candidates with mixed results. While interviews may have

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begun as a mere courtesy, some revealed strong, quality applicants that

principals chose to hire. Despite feeling pressure to interview,
principals emphatically concurred, with one administrative exception:
they never felt or succumbed to any pressure to hire.
Favoritism was a topic that school leaders viewed differently.
To administrators, favoritism often meant a foot in the door for an
interview. This advantage was seen in the form of grow your own
programs through which district products who commit to becoming
educators are given a promise of a teaching contract in the district
should they choose to return to their home district upon college
graduation.
Avoiding Poor Hiring Decisions
Substandard teachers are, according to all respondents, passed
on to other schools and districts without much thought for the
potentially negative impact to the receiving campus in a practice
referred to alternatively as either the dance of the lemons or the turkey
trot (Sowell, 1998). School administrators attribute this phenomenon
to a variety of initial causes ranging from district rifts and relocations
to a failure to document for teacher termination or a failure to
adequately check references, but most can be summarized by a theme
of a single word: failure.
Whatever the cause, secondary principals had several tips to
offer to administrators to avoid the pitfalls of this phenomenon. One
school leader made two suggestions that have aided him in the past. In
keeping with the research of Peterson (2002), the first suggestion was
to be sure to check references and ask an applicants previous
administrator, Would you hire this person again? The second was to
remember that school fit is an important factor in a teachers ultimate
success or failure at a campus. Another principal noted one personal
example in which a teacher was passed to his campus by the district
and for whatever reason, either a better personality fit or a sense that
this was a last chance placement, the teacher was very successful. An

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administrator recommended documenting early on such lemons and

another leader echoed this sentiment adding that such documentation
may make the weak teacher uncomfortable enough to maybe go onto
another profession entirely.
Time Issues
Poor hires, respondents noted, take many forms and have a
litany of causes. However, in listening to school leaders, the greatest
culprit for hiring failures fell across one sub-theme: lack of time. In
fact, not enough time has been listed as the number one reason for
teacher-hiring mistakes (Peterson, 2002). Time before school starts,
time to advertise, time to recruit, time to interview, time to check
references.
Each of these factors presented a challenge for
administrators and was often the most significant reason for the
demise of hiring dreams. In discussions about negative hiring
experiences and their causes, principals concurred with principal and
author Kyle Ramey (2007) who stated in a symposium of the National
Association of Secondary School Principals, The biggest enemy to
promoting better hiring practices in schools is very often the
fundamental element of time or the perception of time. Ramey further
argued that administrators do not have time to not hire the best.
Sometimes time restrictions are arbitrarily placed on school
leaders by district policies. An example of one such policy is that of
absorbing displaced teachers. One administrator indicated that, for her,
not only was she not given time to hire the appropriate personnel for
the position she had open, but she was also not allowed to have any
input into this a displaced employees placement on her campus. The
administrator referred to this particular hire as requiring the most
documentation. Other districts offer a slightly moderation onversion
of the displacement policy in one leaders district. Instead of placing
personnel from the district level in displacement situations, districts
publish a reduction-in-force list from which principals may make
selections. . Only one major stipulation restricts principals in this type
of situation, all teachers on the list must be selected for the upcoming

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year before principals may hire other candidates. School leaders

approach red tape of this nature in two divergent manners. One
participant noted that he always selected from the displaced list early
on in order to be able to select the crme de la crme of the group.
Thus, he was able to capitalize on the strong hiring of others in prior
years. Additionally, by doing so, he hoped that the remainder of the
list would be cleared before he needed to make his next hire. Another
leader, in contrast, noted that when faced with a reduction-in-force list,
he chose to interview the strongest candidates available, but postponed
his hire until the list was voided of any displacements qualified for the
particular position in his building.
The school leaders shared that late summer and mid-year
resignations are one of the most frequent reasons for rushed hiring. In
such cases, several administrators indicated that a limited pool of
qualified applicants was to blame for their faulty hires. Given the
specificity of qualifications needed for certain teaching positions, an
untimely opening caused several principals to hire poorly.
Discussion
When asked about their personal roles in the overall hiring
process, the participants all held with one administrators succinct
description of the role of the principal in the hiring process: to find
the most qualified teachers for vacancies [in ones] school. However,
the large and complicated process of achieving that goal varied
somewhat from school to school. While a few felt that a good
description of their role was that of a visionary or an overseer of the
hiring process, the vast majority spoke of taking a more hands on
approach to hiring their teachers. In fact, most administrators referred
to this task as being their most important responsibility as a building
principal.
The administrators agreed on the need for an application
process. Stronge and Hindman (2003) noted that applications allow

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57

personnel departments and campus hiring personnel to preview

applicants for effective teacher traits. The principals agreed that
regardless of the review process, whether online or on paper, at the
campus level or the district level, the previewing of applications is
perceived as a prerequisite in the hiring process.
An important part of hiring as a whole is to allow for enough
time to hire well. In agreement with Ramey (2007), the most
prominent factor referenced by principals in hiring failures was a lack
of time. Whether the issue of time was one of too many teachers to
hire in a short period, or late summer resignations leading to anxious
last minute back-to-school hires, in the eyes of administrators the
greatest culprit for poor hires fell across one theme: lack of time.
Summary
Educational budget cuts at the state level throughout America
have intensified the scrutiny placed upon every facet of the
educational process from line item budget analysis of individual
programs to the need to review the hiring process from the ground up
(Goodman, 2011). Expenses in the hiring process come in many
forms: job fairs, travel expenses, long distance phone calls, personnel
allocation, and new hire training, thus the need to hire well is both a
fiduciary duty and an ethical obligation to students and society.
The requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) of 2001
granted principals a baseline from which to select the teacher best fit
for the needs on their campus regardless of race or gender. As research
continues to prove, teachers are the cornerstones to successful schools.
Therefore, it is imperative that hiring administrators recruit, hire, and
retain the very best.

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