To protect star players and their families, secondary school coaches need to establish some ground rules for college recruiters to follow. This article reports the experiences of several coaches. (WD)

Describes alternative teacher certification (licensure) programs at universities, regional services centers, and school districts. Provides summary of research on alternative teacher certification. Includes brief description of online sources on alternative teacher certification such as The National Center for Alternative Teacher Certification…

Lists 10 questions a school board should ask the superintendent to help district improve the recruitment and hiring of excellent teachers. For example, can you briefly explain the process we use to hire teachers? (PKP)

A board vice-chair describes Portland (Oregon) School District's year-long search for a new superintendent after a burnt-out incumbent decamped in September. The board hired a utilities executive stand-in, then ran enticing advertisements, encountered media problems, assembled a list of 19 candidates that rapidly deteriorated, visited two…

When hiring a search consultant to recruit superintendent candidates, school boards must consider more than reputation and reliability. This article discusses several important considerations, including availability, possible conflicts of interest, and techniques used to construct superintendent profiles, advertise the position, and reduce the…

Describes how a senior citizen volunteer tutor program at Emerson Elementary School in Riverside (California) achieved success through careful preparation, staff and student cooperation, extra effort to find interested senior citizens, and continual expression of appreciation to volunteers. Presents 17 hints on starting a grandpeople project. (RW)

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…

A board member describes the aftermath of a Connecticut district's decision to dismiss a superintendent hired speedily during the previous summer. The board hired a newly retired interim superintendent, formed a search committee, found an excellent taker who lasted seven years, then began the process all over again. Superintendent turnover is a…

A booming economy and low unemployment make it harder than ever before to lure and retain good school-bus drivers. Lack of money for good wages has prompted some innovative recruitment and retention tactics. Chicago has turned to the rolls of people going off welfare as a source of bus-driver candidates. The Trans Group, headquartered in Chestnut…

Describes the six-step faculty-selection process used by Skokie 68 School District (Skokie, Illinois) to recruit the highest quality teachers: (1) recruitment; (2) screening interviews; (3) administrative team screening; (4) reference checking; (5) followup interviews; and (6) demonstration teaching. (LMI)

In summer 1999, a group of Park City, Utah, school administrators, personnel directors, human-resource specialists, and substitute teacher coordinators brainstormed on improving the recruitment, training, and retention of substitute teachers. Providing effective preservice and on-the-job training and professional recognition are key suggestions.…

Broward County's Teacher Education Alliance provides a seamless approach to teacher education, beginning with the recruitment of high school students and continuing through the preparation of college students. At all levels of their education, students spend time gaining immediate classroom experience in the district's schools. (MLF)

A program called Business Education Collaboration on Minorities in Education (BECOME) offers a $1,500 annual package of scholarships and loans to Akron (Ohio) minority students who agree to study education at the University of Akron or Kent State University and to become teachers in the district. (MLF)

Describes challenges rural school districts meet in recruiting young, talented teachers, particularly those facing tough new federal standards for hiring teachers in Title I schools. Describes how some school districts are meeting the challenge through emphasizing the benefits of rural schools, identifying and assisting high school students with…

A high school district in suburban Chicago recruits top quality teachers by emphasizing the importance of its student teaching program, committing extra time and resources to the program, and recruiting new staff members from the student teacher ranks. (MLF)