Most recently a number of school districts, with support from growing numbers of philanthropic foundations, have been honing in on the strategic management of human capital(SMHC)--which has been defined as "the acquisition, development, performance management and retention of top talent." Granted, over the last two decades policymakers and researchers of most "stripes" have come to conclude that teachers make the most difference in raising student achievement, and strong principals are key to school improvement. As a result, a wide array of initiatives have been launched to attract non-traditional recruits to education, measure effective teaching and label "highly qualified" teachers, train principals differently, and the like. And no doubt, progress has been made. However, America's public schools still rest on a relatively dysfunctional system of teacher and principal development. This paper highlights the issues concerning the recruitment of teachers. (Contains 16 endnotes.) [This paper was prepared for the Rose Community Foundation District Convening October 14, 2008.]