Making the Cut: The Effectiveness of Teacher Screening and Hiring in the Los Angeles Unified School District
Abstract
Many schools and districts have considerable discretion when hiring teachers, yet little is known about how that discretion should be used. Using data from a new teacher screening system in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), we find that performance during screening, and especially performance on specific screening assessments, is significantly and meaningfully predictive of hired teachers’ evaluation outcomes, contributions to student achievement, attendance, and mobility. However, applicants’ performance on individual components of the screening process are differentially predictive of different teacher outcomes, highlighting challenges and potential trade-offs faced by districts during screening.
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Biographies
PAUL BRUNO is a PhD candidate in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. His research interests include teacher quality, teacher labor markets, and school finance.
KATHARINE O. STRUNK is a professor of education policy, the Clifford E. Erickson distinguished chair in education, and the codirector of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on understanding and evaluating policies related to educator labor markets and education governance.
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Article first published online: August 13, 2019
Issue published: December 2019
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