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a ready-to-run workshopHiring & Onboarding Teachers
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Hiring & Onboarding Great Teachers (Workshop)

Who you hire shapes your school more than almost anything, and how you onboard them determines whether they thrive or struggle. Hiring well, for fit and potential, and onboarding deliberately sets new teachers and the school up for success.

Key takeaway

Hiring shapes a school more than almost any other decision, and deliberate onboarding determines whether new hires thrive; both deserve real attention, not a rushed process.

Format
Leadership session
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
A school leader
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutYour hiring and onboarding processA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Conditions for SuccessInTASC 10: Leadership & CollaborationResearch on hiring and induction
Share / assign

Why it works

Hiring decisions have outsized, lasting effects on a school, yet the process is often rushed, and strong onboarding, beyond paperwork, strongly affects whether a new teacher succeeds and stays. Research on hiring points to looking for fit, growth mindset, and potential alongside skill, using structured interviews and evidence rather than just impressions, and to deliberate onboarding, a real induction, mentoring, and support, as what turns a good hire into a thriving teacher.

The research: Research on teacher hiring and induction.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: strengthen hiring and onboarding

    Leaders leave with a sharper hiring approach and a deliberate onboarding plan.

    Hire for fit and potential, onboard deliberatelyWho you hire and how you onboard them shapes your school for years. Use evidence and structure to hire, and give new teachers a real onboarding.

    Facilitator notes

    A rushed hire and a thin onboarding cost yearsHiring on impressions and onboarding with just paperwork leads to struggle and turnover. Use evidence to hire, and onboard deliberately.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Hiring & Onboarding: fit, potential, support

    <b>Shapes the school for years:</b> structured, evidence-based hiring and a deliberate onboarding beyond paperwork.

    1. How I currently hire (structured vs impression):
    2. What I most need to look for:
    3. A deliberate onboarding beyond paperwork:
    4. The supports I connect new hires to:
    5. A hiring or onboarding change to make:

    Make it stick

    Evidence and support:

    Common questions

    What should I look for in a candidate?
    Beyond credentials, look for fit with your school, a growth mindset, relationship skills, and potential, using structured questions and evidence (a sample lesson, examples) rather than gut impression alone.
    Isn't onboarding just paperwork and keys?
    Paperwork is the least of it. Real onboarding, mentoring, induction, clarity, and support, is what determines whether a new teacher thrives or struggles in year one.
    How do I reduce hiring mistakes?
    Use structured interviews and real evidence of practice, involve the right people, and check for fit and growth, not just a good interview performance.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

    Workshop
    Mentoring New Teachers
    Workshop
    Teacher Retention & Morale
    Workshop
    Building Trust & Psychological Safety