The Involvement of Teachers in Teacher Selection in Iowa Schools

Abstract

The problem. This study gathers data on the utilization of teachers in the screening, interviewing, and hiring process. This study also measures the differences between administrator and teacher perceptions on the importance of teacher involvement. Procedure. Surveys were mailed to 27 Iowa schools which indicated that teachers were involved in the hiring process. Twenty schools returned useable data. A two-tailed t-test for nonpaired data was utilized to determine the significance or response between administrators and teachers. Findinqs. Significant differences between the groups were found in the perceptions of the importance of teacher involvement. This study suggests that while administrators and teachers highly value teacher involvement in the process, teachers rate their involvement much more highly than do administrators. Conclusions. Teachers and administrators alike believe that teacher involvement in the screening, interviewing, and selection process is important. School personnel who currently use teacher involvement believe it improves the selection process. Recommendations. (a) School districts should continue to use teachers in the hiring process; (b) Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of teachers who are hired by teacher involvement; (c) Further research is needed to determine if teachers have adequate training in the screening, interviewing, and selection process.