A month ago, the author wrote about the "official" materials one submits for a tenure-track academic hire, like a statement of one's teaching philosophy and a list of references. But in the Internet age, the "unofficial" part of an application is what exists about a person online. In 2009 the author wrote columns about the role of social media,…

During a discussion with a panel of speakers from All of Us or None, an organization fighting for the rights of people who have been imprisoned, nearly every student in Andy Peck's senior economics class at Berkeley High School in California spoke of family members or friends who were currently locked up or formerly incarcerated, back on their…

Teachers matter. Educators, policymakers, and the general public alike agree that great teachers are vital to a thriving K-12 education system, yet the pathways to assembling a high quality teaching force remain elusive. This case study of Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD), winner of the 2004 Broad Prize for Urban Education,…

Alternative routes to the licensure of school principals are controversial. These researchers found that superintendents, as gatekeepers in the employment of principals, consider a complex set of conditions surrounding the candidate, the superintendent, and the school district in their decisions to hire principals who gained credentials through…

"You're hired!" Those two words are easy to say, but it's not always easy to find the right employee. Success hinges on hiring interviews--and they require quite a bit of training to get right. Much of the work in identifying the best people for open positions falls to line-of-business managers. In this article, Verizon Wireless, Umpqua Bank,…

The professional pipeline represents a developmental perspective for fostering leadership capacity in schools and districts, from identification of potential talent during the recruitment phase to ensuring career-long learning through professional development. An intentional and mindful approach to supporting the development of educational leaders…

A book that draws equally on Richard Lee Colvin's deep acquaintance with contemporary education reform and the unique circumstances of the San Diego experience, "Tilting at Windmills" is a penetrating and invaluable account of Alan Bersin's contentious superintendency. Between 1998, when Alan Bersin became superintendent of the San Diego…

School design has developed into a specialized area in the interior design field. When considering candidates for a school or university project, education institutions should move beyond a prospective designer's resume of experience and accomplishments in order to get a better handle on what to expect when working together. This article offers…

This paper aims first to shed light on one element of leadership: the characteristics--or "competencies"--of turnaround leaders who succeed in driving rapid, dramatic change. Second, it recounts the elements of support that districts must provide these leaders to enable and sustain a portfolio of successful school turnarounds.…

Hiring tenure-track faculty is an activity common to all colleges and universities. Most institutions engage in hiring activities each year. Despite the number of searches conducted annually, most available information about faculty hiring consists of guidelines for conducting searches and statistics about searches within disciplines. The purpose…

When a highly qualified candidate learns the search will be conducted confidentially, a positive response is almost certain, in the author's experience running superintendent searches since 1988. Just as likely, the prospective candidate responds negatively to being told the search process will not be confidential. Confidentiality is the item of…

When the author first started as interim director of the Institute for New England Native American Studies (INENAS) based at the University of Massachusetts Boston, he was given three studies that broadly identified specific needs and disparities of Native people in the region. Given that he was at an institution of higher education, his immediate…

The ethnic and racial diversity of the residents of the United States of America is one of the country's unique strengths; however, Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Native, and certain Asian American workers face wide racial inequities in educational attainment, employment, and income. Additional workforce policies are needed now to counter…

The selection of a superintendent is among the most significant decisions any school district board of directors will make. The superintendent should be the person and office through which the direction set by the board is carried out. The working relationship that develops between the board and superintendent is thus absolutely critical and the…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from January 31 to February 4, 2011. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1444 and HB 1445, were heard in House Education February 2. Testimony was carried over to February 7; (2) HB 1411, was heard in House Appropriations, Education and Environment…