Teacher thinks principal selection process is a sham   

Q:   I’m stuck on the baffling process/non-process of new principal selection at our school. The central office of our large county touts collaborative parent and staff involvement to find the very best candidate possible, but the reality is far from that. Only current county principals and people who have completed a “principal internship” may apply (or principals from other school systems, but the administrator indicated these folks have no chance). With that limited pool, they don’t expect more than 10 or 15 applicants. The parents and staff invited to be on the selection panel will never see the resumes or writing samples of the candidates nor do they get to ask (or even propose) interview questions. The panel will sit, mute, before 4-6 candidates in an afternoon of half-hour interviews. Then it will make a recommendation to the superintendent. Everyone assembled at the informational meeting had their jaws on the floor. This is a huge, diverse, Title 1 school with a substantial immigrant population and complicated needs, and we’re supposed to find a strategic education leader out of a very limited pool of applicants through HALF-HOUR interviews in which there is no back-and-forth or follow-up questions allowed? Many of us are veterans of hiring processes, and were baffled at the brevity and static nature of the interviews. Why does the selection process in public education appear much more cursory than the hiring process in other markets and industries? What role do state and local laws, confidentiality concerns, and union issues play when it comes to principal hiring practices?   

A: The short answer is that you’re right to feel like it’s a farce, but it’s nuanced. I consulted with leaders in a few counties that have similar processes. They acknowledge that by trying to mesh two very different approaches, they end up sending mixed signals. 

On the one hand, your district likely has a comprehensive leadership program to prepare principals for the job. This is more typical for large districts  because these programs require a lot of resources. A principal-in-training needs to do extensive coursework, receive mentoring, work as an assistant principal for a specified length of time, and complete a principal internship. There are several checkpoints before someone can even enter the principal pool and start applying for positions (or get tapped to apply for a position). All through this process, central office is determining whether the person has the skills and disposition to be a strong principal. So when there’s an opening, the position will be posted, but the assistant superintendent and others usually have a good sense of who they want for a school.