5 credits

Education leaders study human resources policies and practices for recruiting, selecting, hiring, inducting, developing, evaluating, and retaining or dismissing school personnel. Identifying teachers' needs for professional growth is important, but leaders must also ensure that teachers have the opportunity and motivation to use their professional expertise and to participate in ongoing substantial professional development focused on enhancing the learning of every student. Education leaders have the opportunity to evaluate school personnel and ensure teachers are utilized in their areas of strength within the school, and that teachers also receive support and training in any needed areas to promote student learning. They can become knowledgeable about how to hire and retain their novice teachers in order to reduce teacher turnover. As well, school leaders must be able to identify characteristics of productive teacher evaluation processes and programs; distinguish between supervising teaching and supervising learning; and utilize a process and structure for evaluating school personnel that is productive and supportive, motivates improvement, results in retention of highly competent staff members, embodies standards of due process, and takes into account the provisions of the contractual agreements for staff.