The screening process a school district uses in hiring substitute teachers is critical to striking a balance between required qualifications and immediate need. Typically, screening involves at least one of the following: pre-screening, paper and pencil screening, interviews, and background checks, each of which is used to different degrees…

Written documentation helps teachers highlight all of the extras they do that make a difference in education. The documentation includes a professional vita and written commentary, which are usually placed within professional portfolios. This paper examines essential features of the vita and written commentary, explaining how to collect necessary…

Trade and industrial (T & I) instructors desiring professional development and credentialization through a university have numerous problems in validating and receiving credit for their technical competencies obtained through prior experiences and noncollegiate training. In the past, teachers have either acquired specialization competency based on…

Current studies suggest that school districts may not be hiring the most promising graduates of teacher training programs. The first chapter of this publication reviews this research and proposes three possible explanations for the hiring failures: the complexity of the teaching function, insufficient attention to hiring, and inadequate selection…

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has adopted the following quality assurance and control policies for education program evaluation in Louisiana: (1) anyone who accepts and executes responsibility for planning, conducting and reporting evaluations of educational programs, projects, and materials approved by the State Board…

Summarizes the National Council of Teachers of English Task Force assessment of four issues regarding teacher competency: (1) who defines competency; (2) the nature of teacher competency tests; (3) the impact of current tests on minority teachers; and (4) the quality and standards of the teaching profession. Includes a bibliography of materials…

The first of three articles describes the results of a survey that examined characteristics and responsibilities of help-desk personnel at major database and online services. The second provides guidelines to using such customer services, and the third lists help-desk numbers for online databases and systems. (CLB)

This checklist of interview questions is offered as a resource from which to draw a common base for evaluating applicants for teaching positions. (MJL)

The basic task of recruiting teachers for continuing education programs is to identify a pool of qualified potential teachers. The development of a recruitment plan, a programming philosophy, and a timetable for implementation are important to the success of the staffing process. (Author/SK)

Lists the types of information student publications advisers should know, as well as a number of "dos" and "don'ts" for advisers. (GT)

Provides potential questions to be asked of a prospective secondary school department head during the employment interview. The questions address the applicant's qualifications in terms of the management process, management skills, and leadership. (CLB)

Discusses how counselors face demands throughout their careers for information from various sources including licensure boards, employers, managed care companies, courts of law, graduate schools, and professional associations. Suggests items for collection and organization in a working portfolio and gives examples of how counselors may use these…

Strategies to help special education substitute teachers succeed include: welcome students and extend courtesies to everyone encountered; educate oneself for the present assignment; learn more about teaching and learning for future assignments; communicate with students, colleagues, support staff, and administrators to understand the school…

Discusses what can be learned about superintendent job qualifications from analyzing position descriptions advertised in "Education Week" and association journals. Describes five categories common to most superintendent position descriptions: leadership, management skills, school reform and performance, curricular review, and technology.…

Business is about productivity and maintaining a competitive advantage. To do this, business needs qualified workers. Hiring people with disabilities adds value to a business and will attract new customers. Disability is not inability. Employers can make sound business decisions and gain a competitive advantage by using this guide to increase the…