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Strategic Talent Management Decisions for Principals

  2. Strategic Talent Management Course
  3. Module 1: Strategic Hiring
  4. Module 1, Principle 2: Set and Manage Goals

Module 1, Principle 2: Set and Manage Goals

Effective principals establish clear goals for hiring and define what the qualities and characteristics of successful candidates to meet those goals. They define the goals of hiring for each vacant position: they articulate what the school needs most based on school-wide goals and the needs of the grade-level or subject area team. They also determine the highest priority strengths, characteristics, and skills sought in a candidate and establish benchmarks and processes  for determining those skills.

Effective principals prioritize the most important sets  of knowledge, skills, professional behaviors, and experiences needed for each vacant position. Thus, in addition to training and certification requirements, principals should also consider the needs of their specific student population; the composition of teacher, grade-level, or subject area teams; and the culture of the school. It’s clear that there is no “one-size-fits all” for teacher hiring. Rather, effective principals develop candidate profiles that clearly articulate the  teacher needed for each position.

Quick Reads

Read the following article:
TNTP’s Teacher Talent Toolbox: Recruitment & Hiring, especially pg. 8. Retrieved from: https://tntp.org/assets/tools/RecruitmentandHiring_03.12_Final_3.pdf.

Reflection Activity

Goals for the School:

  1. Complete the Hiring Self-Assessment for your current school.
  2. Recommended: Share your self-assessment with members of your leadership team. Have each member of the leadership team complete the self-assessment as well. Discuss your results as a team.

Profile of the Candidate:

Select ONE of the case study folders (based on your current school level):

  1. “Booker T. Washington Elementary Case Study”
  2. “Booker T. Washington High Case Study” 

Case A: Booker T. Washington Elementary

  1. Read the document Elementary School Case Study Background.
  2. Complete the document Elementary School Candidate Profile.
  3. Look through the Elementary School Data Folder.
  4. Write a reflection to the discussion board about how the school leadership team in the case study school could use the candidate profiles to guide the hiring process.

Case B: Booker T. Washington High School

  1. Read the document Candidate Profiles_HS Elementary School Case Study Background.
  2. Complete the document High School Candidate Profile.
  3. Look through the High School Data Folder.
  4. Write a reflection to the discussion board about how the school leadership team in the case study school could use the candidate profiles to guide the hiring process.

Continue to Module 1, Principle 3