The scenario-based interview assesses qualities like persistence, stakeholder focus, ability to translate theory into practice, perception of at-risk behavior, and fallibility. Each component reflects an effective school correlation.
Dr. Martin Haberman is the author of the acclaimed 2005 publication, “Star Teachers: The Ideology and Best Practice of Effective Teachers of Diverse Children and Youth in Poverty”. All training participants receive the book and the interview tool which helps to identify excellent teachers. Within the last two decades, over 150 districts have been trained in this research-based selection protocol.
It is our belief, based on years of research, that if a teacher candidate does not know how to build relationships with students, it doesn’t matter how much content knowledge, experience, or credential strength they may offer.
From his on-going research, Dr. Haberman crafted an interview which gets to the heart of what teaching should be for children, especially those who live in poverty. The questions and answers were derived from what the best teachers believe their job will and should be. The interview actually tests the third dimension of working in classrooms. Not content, nor pedagogy, but does the teacher have the capacity to build relationships with children, parents, and school leaders in general.
The Haberman Educational Foundation proposes to train leadership teams in one day of intensive training. Teams are flexible and may be designed to fit each district’s specific needs by the superintendent or an appropriate designee. Intense, district saturation training such as proposed here is a formidable force focusing on the power of personnel selection. When principals understand the ideology of the star teacher live interview, they will fully understand the implications of the online teacher pre-screener results which goes hand in hand with the interview protocol, thus, changing the culture of hiring in the school district.
The online pre-screener is based on the same research as the live interview. Again, questions are based on core beliefs, not content nor pedagogy. The pre-screener is designed to determine which applicants deserve a live interview. This is a 50 item, half hour test that you can administer to yourself, in private, on your own computer. Your answers will be rated in terms of how star teachers vs. quitter/failure teachers have responded to the very same questions. The pre-screeners are designed to help you determine which applicants deserve a live interview. In this way, the live interview and pre-screener work together to help identify the best teachers.
