Making Sense of Empirical Data to Improve Teacher Selection
April 2011
AERA SymposiumTracy Brisson, Founder and CEO
The Opportunities Project
Research Questions
How can school districts use data to improve the recruitment and hiring of effective teachers?
Do school districts have a role in assisting teacher applicants in the hiring process to make them more
effective and desirable employees?
Conceptual Framework and Relevance
• Narrative inquiry and reflective practice of time as Director of Teacher Recruitment for New York City Public Schools
• Consumer AND gatekeeper for graduates of education schools
• Public impatience with local politics, education and teachers
The “Scary” Facts about Teaching
• Decreasing public money for schools
• Decreasing enrollment
• Out of 16 majors tracked in the class of 2010, education graduates had the lowest job offer rate- 23.7%
Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Sense-making of Multiple Roles
Director of Teacher Recruitment
Leader
Implementer
Researcher
Subordinate
Sense-making Steps
Synthesize Information
Develop Model
Implement Model
Evaluate and
Reflect on Model
Change Model
Applicant Support
Synthesize Information
ResearchPolicy Demands
Best Practices
Principals
Develop and Implement Model
Competencies
• Instructional Knowledge & Skills
• Content Knowledge
• Communication Skills
• Four non-instructional competencies
Align tools to competencies
• Application questions
• Application screening
• Interview questions
Evaluate and Reflect
Evaluating value-add model results
1. Match scores to beliefs2. Discuss best and worst guesses3. Discuss actual “best” performing
teachers4. Discuss other reflections
Change Model
• Changed competencies• Combined, Added and Removed
• Added better evaluation tools• Math assessment and role plays
• Provided candidate job search support
Applicant Support
Introduced webinars on resumes, interviews, job search, and related topics• 40% of applicants attended a webinar• 90% of participants reported they’d recommend service
Questions: • Where does this responsibility lie? Colleges?• What will happen if the district can’t provide these
services?
Questions for Faculty
What is your responsibility to your students in today’s economy?
How do you make sense of your different roles as a faculty member in teacher preparation?
What does a rigorous research line in this inquiry area look like?
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Questions