All educators are very concerned about the tremendous need for new principals. Different strategies are in place to fill vacancies in the principalship. Principals can be developed from the existing ranks of educators, hired from outside the field, or through a combination of both. To meet their immediate needs, however, most school districts want…

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of assigning proteges to first-year principals. This practice allows aspiring principals to experience what it is like to be a first-year principal. Having a first-year principal serve in a mentorship role can benefit both the principal and the protege--as well as students, teachers, and the…

Developing best practices in the hiring of new teachers has become a necessity in times of teacher shortages. Personnel directors and principals charged with recruitment must be able to distinguish the most qualified applicants and to hire those with the most potential to succeed and remain in the profession. Behavior-based interviewing (BBI) is a…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) sets standards for the teaching profession and certifies teachers who meet those standards. Currently there are NBPTS-developed standards for 27 fields, such as age range (e.g., early childhood, adolescence, young adulthood) and content area (e.g., English/language arts, middle…