ED311 is very proud to announce our newest publication—The Hiring Handbook by Cathleen White (with contributions by Jennifer Childress). Take the guesswork out of hiring highly qualified, effective, reliable staff with our brand new companion guide to the bestselling Texas Documentation Handbook.
Any principal can tell you that good hiring is one of the most important time-investment activities they engage in. And the repercussions of bad hires on your campus are even bigger than the dollar amounts it will cost your campus or district. Fill your campus with the best teachers and staff and your job is considerably easier.
This book will be a valuable resource to anyone tasked with hiring for their school district. Strategies for each step of the process–from recruiting applicants to onboarding–include insight and tips from seasoned administrators. A toolbox of forms to use and a chapter on legal considerations rounds out this resource making it a must have for principals and HR professionals, both new and experienced.
Here are thoughts from Cathleen White on challenges for administrators during the hiring process and how The Hiring Handbook will help:
“As a campus principal, I faced numerous challenges with hiring, particularly when it came to time management. One of the most daunting tasks was conducting a significant number of hires at the end of the school year and during the early summer, all to ensure a fully staffed team for the next academic year. That’s where The Hiring Handbook comes in. It offers ready-to-use resources that principals can quickly access while maintaining consistency, fairness, and thorough documentation throughout the process. The Handbook features over 100 interview questions, organized by trait, category, and position, along with rubrics to help compare and evaluate candidates efficiently. These tools are invaluable time-savers.
As a new principal, I also struggled with how to involve current staff in the interview process—deciding who to include, balancing team needs and preferences, and conducting effective interviews. The Hiring Handbook addresses these challenges with “pro tips” not just from my own experiences, but from seasoned principals who offer practical advice and important considerations for conducting team interviews and making the best hiring decisions.
One of the biggest challenges principals face today is the teacher shortage. To help navigate this, I’ve compiled practical strategies, resources, and actionable steps for situations where there are few or no applicants. The Hiring Handbook also includes tailored interview strategies for these tough circumstances. But hiring is only the beginning. To take it a step further, I’ve dedicated an entire chapter to onboarding, focusing on how to set new teachers up for success from day one. A solid onboarding plan is crucial in reducing turnover and ensuring long-term success. Without it, principals risk spending more time catching teachers up, fixing issues, or rehiring when overwhelmed teachers decide to resign. A well-executed onboarding process can make all the difference in retaining great talent.
It is important to have a well thought out, consistent process. The Hiring Handbook does this for you!”
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