William Kyle Ingle

Mix and Match: What Principals Really Look for When Hiring Teachers

The vast majority of research and policy related to teacher quality focuses on the supply of teachers and ignores teacher demand. In particular, the important role of school principals in hiring teachers is rarely considered. Using interviews of school principals in a midsized Florida school district, we provide an exploratory mixed methods analysis of the teacher characteristics principals prefer. Our findings contradict the conventional wisdom that principals undervalue content knowledge and intelligence. Principals in our study ranked content knowledge third among a list of twelve characteristics. Intelligence does appear less important at first glance, but this is apparently because principals believe all applicants who meet certification requirements meet a minimum threshold on intelligence and because some intelligent teachers have difficulty connecting with students. More generally, we find that principals prefer an individual mix of personal and professional qualities. They also create an organizational mix, hiring teachers who differ from those already in the school in terms of race, gender, experience, and skills, and an organizational match, in which teachers have similar work habits and a high propensity to remain with the school over time. Because of tenure rules, many principals also prefer less experienced (untenured) teachers, even though research suggests that they are less effective.

How Principals "Bridge and Buffer" the New Demands of Teacher Quality and Accountability: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Teacher Hiring

In this mixed‐methods study, we examine the degree to which district‐ and building‐level administrators accommodate teacher‐quality and test‐based accountability policies in their hiring practices. We find that administrators negotiated local hiring goals with characteristics emphasized by federal and state teacher‐quality policies, such as knowledge of the subject and teaching skills. While district administrators and principals largely “bridged” to external certification requirements, some principals “buffered” their hiring decisions from the pressures of test‐based accountability. Principals who bridged to test‐based accountability gave greater weight to subject knowledge and teaching skills. We find that bridging and buffering differs by policy and cannot be easily applied to accountability policies. Specifically, separating the indirect effect of external accountability from other policies influencing principal hiring is difficult. Our analysis also highlights tensions among local, state, and federal policies regarding teacher quality and the potential of accountability to permeate noninstructional school decision making.

How Teacher Evaluation Methods Matter for Accountability A Comparative Analysis of Teacher Effectiveness Ratings by Principals and Teacher Value-Added Measures

Policymakers are revolutionizing teacher evaluation by attaching greater stakes to student test scores and observation-based teacher effectiveness measures, but relatively little is known about why they often differ so much. Quantitative analysis of thirty schools suggests that teacher value-added measures and informal principal evaluations are positively, but weakly, correlated. Qualitative analysis suggests that some principals give high value-added teachers low ratings because the teachers exert too little effort and are “lone wolves” who work in isolation and contribute little to the school community. The results suggest that the method of evaluation may not only affect which specific teachers are rewarded in the short term, but shape the qualities of teacher and teaching students experience in the long term.

Campaign Expenditures in School Levy Referenda and Their Relationship to Voter Approval: Evidence From Ohio, 2007–2010

Abstract Using logistic regression, this study sought to understand the relationship between district characteristics, district finances, levy characteristics, and campaign expenditures with new operating levy outcomes. We found that employee benefits as a percentage of the districts budget were negatively associated with levy outcomes, while salaries were positively associated with levy outcomes, suggesting that voters may be more sensitive to retirement and healthcare benefits than salaries when voting. While campaign spending was related to levy success, types of expenditures were largely insignificant. School district personnel must be cognizant of the local conditions in crafting campaigns and recruiting community stakeholders.

Hired Guns and "Legitimate Voices": The Politics and Participants of Levy Campaigns in Five Ohio School Districts.

Background: In Ohio, levy campaigns are a burdensome task for district administrators and stakeholders alike. To date, there is little research on the districts’ role in crafting school budget referenda campaigns. Purpose: This study asked three research questions: How did the macropolitical contexts shape stakeholders’ decision making in terms of campaign strategizing and participation? How did the micropolitical contexts shape stakeholder decision making in terms of campaign strategizing and participation? How did successful districts differ in political strategies from districts that were not successful? Research Design: Qualitative case studies. Data Collection: Twenty-three informants from five Ohio school districts with levies on the November 2008 ballot. Using a snowball sampling technique, initial informants (i.e., superintendent, treasurer) were asked to identify additional stakeholders who participated in the campaigns. Data Analysis: Coding was initially guided by multiple theoretical frameworks, including macro/micropolitics, Johnson’s 21 campaign strategies and Anderson’s framework of “authentic” participation. After coding, an iterative team memo-writing process was used. Findings: This study offers important insight into the complexities of the environments and strategies used in levy campaigns. Four macropolitical themes were identified—state campaign policies, state education finance policy, the high-profile nature of the Presidential election, and the state of the economy. Despite a small sample, districts varied greatly in strategies used and community involvement. Districts that heavily engaged community members and created a sense of urgency yielded greater success at the polls than “central office campaigns.” Adequate message training for campaign participants was also integral to success.

Selecting the "Best Applicant(s)" with Limited Options and Policy Constraints.

This case study examines issues related to teacher hiring and accountability policies, including the adequate yearly progress and highly qualified teacher provisions of the No Child Left Behind act. The focus of the case study is the nexus among findings from the teacher-quality research, realities of teacher labor markets, and accountability policies. Opportunities for discussion of leadership decisions at the school and district levels are provided. The details described in this case study are developed for use in personnel/instructional supervision courses.