Best Practices Staffing/Hiring 1

Hiring, supporting and developing staff is one of the most critical components of an educational

leaders responsibilities. In The Leaders Role in Developing Teacher Expertise, Stephen Fink and Anneke

Markholt discuss teacher quality and the importance of developing expertise among leaders. Fink and

Markholt (2013) argue that leaders must not only be experts in their craft, that is, they continually make

efforts to refine their skills and their learning, but they must also demonstrate teaching expertisethey

must be skilled in teaching their expertise to others. Therefore, as leaders look to hire teachers, it

makes sense to hire candidates who demonstrate the willingness to learn, and who might one day

become experts in their craft. To support and develop their teachers, leaders must also offer a variety

of opportunities for them to expand their knowledge.

As a literacy leader in my school, I have been part of several hiring committees; I have been

involved in the process for hiring Title 1 tutors, classroom teachers and an assistant principal. At each

interview, candidates are asked a series of questions. Many questions are focused on teaching

scenarios and frameworks for teaching. What I personally look for in a candidate is someone who has

some knowledge of best practices, but more importantly, is willing to learn. Sometimes this is not the

candidate with the most impressive resume; it could be the one with the least experience, but with an

open willingness to learn, to grow, and to collaborate and work with others.

Additionally, my role is heavily involved in planning for and delivering professional development.

In order for teachers to have access to the most current research in best practices, school leaders must

also have this knowledge and have the ability to effectively teach the teachers. Professional

development should also be relevant and, ultimately, have a direct effect on the success of the students.

For example, one area of professional development in our district focused on best practices in Tier 1

instruction in literacy to support the CCSS in literature and informational text. Across the board,

teachers were inconsistent in the delivery of their instruction. To address this, we adopted the third

edition of the Making Meaning program. Teachers were gathered together by grade level district-wide
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to learn an overview of the program as well as the reasoning behind why it was chosen. Professional

development continues through PLTs at each individual school in order to support teachers as they

continue to navigate the program. Professional development should always continue to be followed

through. It is ongoing learning, and should never be just one isolated event.
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References

Fink, S., & Markholt, A. (2013). The leader's role in developing teacher expertise. The Jossey-Bass Reader
on Educational Leadership, 317-332.