My elementary school (K-5) is interviewing candidates for our assistant principal position and I am one of the teachers on the interview panel. I have a few questions in mind that I want to ask specific to the school, but I'm eager to get some insight from others as well. If you were interviewing an AP for your school, what question(s) would you want to ask to ensure you are choosing the right person? I'm super curious to get some ideas from outside our interview panel. This position will handle behaviors, attend IEP meetings, conduct evaluations, etc. All the normal principal stuff. Thanks in advance for any ideas!
I would ask what is their vision for how a school should be administratively run. I also would want to know their views on teacher autonomy in the classroom. Maybe inquire how they handled difficult parents or quarreling staff members.
You want to ask hard questions that the candidate would have difficulty BS-ing their way out of. Like these: What does ethical leadership look like to you? What does educational equity look like to you? How do you build positive relationships with the families of your most struggling students? You have just learned that a staff member may have behaved inappropriately toward a student. How would you respond in both the short, and long term? A student just told you that "some kids" have been vaping in the restroom during recess. You do not have any evidence, but you have a pretty good idea who those kids are. What action would you take, if any? It's very common for leaders of all types to claim they have an "open door policy," but, for many, whether they actually have one is debatable. Describe how you would "walk the walk" with regard to such a policy. How would you support a teacher who is struggling with classroom management? What is the most important aspect of maintaining a positive relationship with teachers and staff? What would your school attendance improvement plan look like? Be specific.
In my district, the questions are all predetermined. Panel members don’t get to make up their own questions.
Same in my district. The panel is given a prepared list to choose from. There are about five categories, and the panel members decide which 1 or 2 questions from each category they will ask. The questions must be the same for all candidates.
What would you do with a family whose child needs to be evaluated for disabilities, but the parents are reluctant or outright refuse? How would you handle parents who push for accommodations their child genuinely doesn't need? (ex. a child with mild ADHD and nothing else does not need special writing utensils) What does an equitable behavior management system look like to you? (really trying to suss out whether it's one size fits all or based on each kid or each PBIS tier) (Based on something I saw this year) How would you handle a situation where parents don't respect basic school rules? - We had a parent consistently send their son to school not in dress code, son would then tantrum violently and refuse to change clothes, be sent home, receive a detention, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. The amount of disruption was absurd.
Those of us who’ve been on an interview panel know that the questions are already written. We just divide ‘em up and read them to the candidates. ...shrugs shoulders and walks away.
