In fall 2000, all 3,506 superintendents in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin received a survey that asked them to report on the strategies they had implemented to attract and retain teachers and on how effective those strategies had been. The survey was designed to collect basic information about a variety of…

The knowledge, skills, and practices of early childhood care providers and teachers are critical factors in their delivery of high-quality developmental and educational experiences to young children. However, studies have found that the majority of professionals that make up the current early childhood workforce are not adequately prepared. Recent…

On August 5, 2006, more than 300 South Carolina National Board Certified Teachers[R] (NBCTs) assembled in Columbia at a policy summit to address the vexing problem of recruiting and retaining accomplished teachers in high-needs schools. Before this summit, the NBCTs read a number of background papers and research summaries. During the summit, they…

An evaluation report on faculty and staff recruitment by the Austin Independent School District (AISD) is presented. Recruitment goals included increasing the percentage of the Black and Hispanic staff population to equal the percentage of Blacks and Hispanics among the student population. Attention is directed to the ethnic percentages of AISD…

Faced with a late-season superintendent search, many districts defer the formal search-and-hire process and entice a senior administrator or former superintendent to serve a one- or two-year stint. One appealing alternative is an abbreviated search. Boards should advertise immediately and efficiently, develop their own criteria, recruit…

Throughout history, cities that have been centers of great learning have usually also taken their place as economic powerhouses. Here in America, economists have long noticed that educated cities--that is, cities with a greater percentage of knowledgeable and skilled residents--have fared better economically than their unskilled counterparts, but…

Are most charter schools more racially segregated than traditional public schools (TPS)? How do local circumstances affect the degree to which charter schools are more racially segregated or diverse than TPSs? As the charter school movement in Michigan and nationwide gains popularity, these questions have become important policy issues. In order…

Inspired by the publication of "Leaders for America's Schools" (1987), a guide for improving administrator preparation, this paper identifies program components to be reformed, examines general problems associated with each component, and encourages thinking about solutions to some of these problems. Assessment centers to test administrator skills…

This is the second in a series of three reports about the research on teaching quality that the Education Commission of the States (ECS) is producing through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE). The focus of this report is on teacher recruitment and retention. This report is intended to…

This report provides information on the outcomes of the Intervention for College Attendance Program, a program of competitive grants awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional organizations and community-based organizations. Funded programs focus on increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher…

With the 2002 enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), GAO was mandated to review the Troops-to-Teachers program, which provides financial assistance and counseling to help military personnel obtain their teacher licenses, especially in priority subject areas, such as math and science, and find employment in high-need districts and…

To enhance their district's chances of hiring superior principals, Nanuet (New York) Public Schools developed an intensive administrator selection process involving careful job descriptions reflecting school objectives, checklists of desirable professional experiences, an "action interview," and structured visits to finalists' school…

In Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY, a number of unique strategies are being used to attract and retain qualified principals. Based on a survey of principal-certified personnel, the district conducted a more aggressive external recruitment effort, and also started providing housing subsidies, salary incentives, and assigning some…

Supports the inclusion of teaching among the professions licensed by New York State. Argues that licensing will give the profession added stature which will help school districts recruit high-quality teachers, and that licensing will increase teacher accountability. (FMW)

The president of a search firm that recruits administrators for school systems and colleges offers boards suggestions for developing systematic search and selection procedures to obtain the best available superintendent for their school district. (MLF)