ABSTRACT
The argument in this chapter proposes that we reconsider the dynamics of urban school leadership hiring practices. There may be no decisions more important than hiring and placing individuals to fi ll vacant positions, 2 whether it is a superintendent hiring school building principals or a principal hiring teachers (TNTP, 2012). Although much research attention has focused on questions related to teacher retention (Ingersoll, 2001), once educators earn tenure within a school district, they tend to remain in place as teachers and administrators until their retirement. 3 Therefore, personnel decisions affect individuals, individual schools, and school districts long term, which is critical for understanding the struggles necessary to bring about urban educational reforms and change processes (Fullan, 1993; Hord, Rutherford, HulingAustin, & Hall, 1987).
