Global Educator Empowerment

Douglas Halladay heads The Halladay Group, a consulting firm specializing in all aspects of private school operations. We asked him how to advise a board of trustees on a headmaster search. Here are his answers.

We aggressively seek candidates for you who combine solid administrative skills and outstanding management abilities with dynamic leadership experience. The model that we utilize is included below.

Step 1: Initial Meeting

During our first meeting with the client, we review your organization regarding the position to be filled. We also seek to understand the organization's environment, which includes learning about the culture, norms, philosophy, history, work atmosphere, and personalities of the people and community this person will work for and with, as well as coming to know what causes individual success or failure at this organization and thoroughly understanding the vision of the organization. If confidentiality allows, we spend time with the supervisor and peers of the position to determine the management's style and personality. Since our goal is to find someone in whom the community will have confidence, both in ability and style, this part of the process is crucial.

Step 2: Position Profile

My firm next prepares a Position Profile that describes the client organization, details the nature of the position, the key issues facing the new leader, and the qualities and experience of the ideal candidate. Once approved by the client, this document serves as the primary instrument to communicate the opportunity during the search process.

Step 3:

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, the integrity and security of private school operations have never been more critical. As administrators, we strive to cultivate environments where trust and transparency are paramount. However, my own experience transitioning a school from paper-driven to digital bookkeeping revealed just how vulnerable these systems can be. The school's petty cash account was a constant source of frustration, impossible to balance due to a complete lack of controls. This article delves into the multifaceted issue of employee theft within private schools, exploring its various forms, the risks it presents, and the profound impact it can have on both finances and reputation. By understanding these dynamics, we can better equip ourselves with the strategies and tools necessary to safeguard our schools and uphold the principles we hold dear.

A Trustee's responisibility.

You have spent a year as a trustee of St. Etheldreda's. You have attended all the meetings. Recently you were appointed to the finance committee. The nagging question keeps chewing at you. "How do we know that our employees aren't stealing from us?" After all, hardly a day goes by without yet another report on the news of some trusted employee stealing from one organization or another.

You simply have to ask these tough questions of your business manager and your auditor.

1. Does one person have control over all of your accounting functions?
2. Are two signatures required on checks over a pre-determined amount - say, $50?
3. Are checks ever pre-signed?
4. Are your

What's Your Marketability Quotient?

If you have three or more of the following skills or credentials, you will position yourself for greater success in the private school employment market. While there is a shortage of qualified teachers, it is still a highly competitive arena in the private school world. Consequently, your chances at finding your dream job will improve if you can offer one or more of the following:

1. Speak and teach a second language.

Teachers who speak French, Spanish and Mandarin are much in demand in any school. Add a degree and certifications in those subjects to your credentials, and you will be a 'hot' property! Unlike public schools where language skills are necessary just to deal with a non-English speaking population, private schools offer academic courses in French, Spanish, and Mandarin language and literature. Many of these courses lead to AP level examinations. You will have the opportunity to use that honors degree work in foreign languages to your advantage.

2. Hold specialist certifications.

An ESL certificate or a reading specialist certificate will virtually guarantee you employment for life at many schools. Schools that enroll non-English speaking students frequently require those students to master English at a very high level to complete their academic coursework with good grades. An ESL-certified teacher is an integral part of the teaching strategy and an important element in a diverse community. A reading specialist can effectively remediate reading and comprehension skills, allowing language arts teachers to focus on

What is Praxis?

ETS offers this explanation of the Praxis® tests: "The Praxis® tests measure the academic skills and subject-specific content knowledge needed for teaching. The Praxis tests are taken by individuals entering the teaching profession as part of the certification process required by many states and professional licensing organizations."

Who requires Praxis®?

Most states require public school teachers to be licensed. Part of the licensing process is taking and passing Praxis I and/or Praxis II. Praxis I tests your competence in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Many education programs will accept Paxis I scores in place of SAT or ACT scores. They basically test the same kind of readiness for tertiary-level academic work. From ETS: "These tests measure academic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. They were designed to provide comprehensive assessments that measure the skills and content knowledge of candidates entering teacher preparation programs.

Praxis II consists of subject or content tests. These are offered in standard subject areas such as Spanish, physics, language arts and so on. If you seek to be licensed as a physics teacher, for example, you would pass the Praxis II exam in physics as part of that requirement. From ETS: "These tests measure subject-specific content knowledge, as well as general and subject-specific teaching skills, that you need for beginning teaching."

How do you prepare for the tests?

There are several Praxis test prep resources available, both for purchase and at no cost. Khan Academy offers free test

I have interviewed hundreds of job applicants over the years. I can assure you that a job interview will contain all kinds of traps. Sometimes the interviewer sets the traps. She will build questions into her interview script so she can see how you handle unexpected situations. Other times you will unknowingly set a trap for yourself by making a statement which the interviewer determines is worth exploring in greater detail. Against that backdrop, let's review how to handle some of those traps which might occur when you interview for that job as the math teacher at St. Agatha's Academy.

1. Do some role-playing.

Preparing for a job interview is an essential part of the process if you truly want the job. That's because the competition is a lot tougher these days. Public schools and colleges and universities have been down-sizing their teaching staffs. There are many reasons for this, but the bottom line is that more qualified education professionals are applying for teaching jobs than ever before.

How should you prepare for your interview? A few weeks before your interview do some role-playing, enlist the aid of a trusted friend or family member to play the part of the interviewer. Dress up in your interview outfit. Do the role-playing in a setting similar to what you might expect for the interview, such as an office or a table in Starbucks. The 16th-century adage that 'practice makes perfect' applies to your job interview. You will be amazed at