Understanding principals' perspectives on hiring high quality teachers in Washington State: A critical race perspectiv

This study investigated principals' perceptions in the hiring process of classroom teachers in high minority (Latino) schools. Nine secondary principals in five school districts in Washington state were interviewed regarding their perceptions of characteristics of high quality teachers in their school. Data gathered via personal interviews indicated that principals identified teachers who "fit" their schools and their current staff by focusing on state and federal highly qualified mandates and their own subjective criteria for desirable teacher characteristics. Participating administrators promoted what was described as a "colorblind" hiring process that would allow them to remain "ethnically neutral" when hiring teachers. Despite principals' professed desire to provide their students with same-race mentors, the process described had the effect of ensuring that the high percentages of white staff at high minority schools would persist in high minority schools, thus leaving little hope for a change in the ethnic or racial demographics of the teaching staff in these schools.