Dive Brief:
- A new study out of the University of Washington's Center for Education Data & Research argues that the teacher hiring process should be a more scientific one.
- The study says things like letters of recommendation and a teacher's ability to keep calm in class should be considered more strongly than they currently are, and that personal connections should not cloud a recruiter's judgment.
- The study found that the ability to work well with others is a better indicator of teacher performance and retention than where a teacher went to school.
Dive Insight:
"Our research suggests that teacher workforce improvements can be derived from more careful hiring decisions," Dan Goldhaber, director of the Center for Education Data & Researh, told the Associated Press. Goldhaber believes too much emphasis is placed on how to help teachers once they are in the classroom, as opposed to how to pick the best teachers from the beginning.
In order to complete the study, researchers followed new teachers in Spokane Public Schools for several years. They also followed teachers who were not originally hired.