Case Studies Detail Districts' Personnel Challenges

All too often, large school districts struggle with organizational problems that undermine their ability to assemble top-notch teaching, administrative, and central-office staffs. In a bid to illuminate solutions, a group of scholars, advocates, and policymakers released case studies today detailing promising new approaches to recruiting, hiring, and training education personnel.

The 10 studies mark a key early step by Strategic Management of Human Capital to reshape the national dialogue on how districts can improve student achievement by getting better talent and managing it more effectively. The group formed five months ago as a project of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education , based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ( "Project Aims to Improve H.R. Systems in Big Districts," June 18, 2008.)

Dysfunctional human-resource systems and shortages of strong teachers and principals are legendary bumps in the road to good schools. To smooth that road, districts must develop a clear educational improvement strategy, and carefully tailor recruitment, hiring, training, placement, evaluation, promotion, and pay systems to make that strategy work, said Allan R. Odden, a professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison...