III. Conclusion

Understanding the impact that leadership has on the success of a school should compel both organizations and school districts to think clearly about their hiring practices when seeking new leadership. The recruitment procedure, even one that is thorough and systematized, will be unruly because the standards for a strong leader are bound to exclude a large number of candidates.

It is worth summarizing a typical recruitment procedure again. Following the release of a recruitment ad, organizations must sift through an assortment of resumes and applications (which could vary from a hundred or so to just a small handful). Suitable candidates (if any) are chosen based on objective criteria such as past experience and certifications, which afterwards are verified again through interviews are reference checks. Whatever decisions still left to be made are based on internal feelings and leaps of faith.

While recruitment is a far more technical procedure than was made out to be in this practicum, the purpose of this section was to shed light on areas that would help in making final decisions more accurate and predictable. Understanding the motives and aspirations of potential candidates helps narrow down a pool of applicants; and identifying relevant interview questions helps focus the lens on the most qualified individuals.

However, even if a thorough and well-checked hiring procedure had been executed, there is still no guarantee that the individual chosen will prove successful. Whoever the organization decides to hire to lead a school will have considerable short and long term effects on the organization’s reputation. The next section will explore ways strong leaders can be developed by the organization as well as actions the organization must take in keeping a strong leader committed to the school over a long period of time.