The Distribution of Decision Making in Teacher Hiring: Changes Over Time

• In Event: 73.061 - Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: 73.061-5 - Teacher Labor Market: Hiring, Distribution, and Retention

Abstract

A key area of potential influence for school leaders is teacher hiring. Anecdotal information suggests that teacher hiring has become less centralized over time, with authority moving from the human resource departments of district central offices to principals. The current paper explores changes over time in the influence that principals and teachers have over teacher hiring decisions. Using all seven cohorts of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey, we find that principals report that both they and their teachers gained substantial influence with regard to teacher hiring decisions between 1987 and 2011.

Authors

• Mimi Engel, Vanderbilt University

• Marisa A. Cannata, Vanderbilt University