SISEP eNotes: October 15, 2015

Date Published:

October 15, 2015

 

SISEP eNotes

Notes, News and Discussion from the
State Implementation & Scaling-up of Evidence-Based Practices Project

October 15, 2015

Selecting Staff for Active Implementation

Selection is a key Implementation Driver. Staff selection is an essential starting point for achieving excellent outcomes in classrooms and schools. Likewise, staff selection at the district, region, and SEA level is key to providing excellent supports to schools and teachers.

A good staffing choice can add healthy diversity to the existing knowledge base in the organization and contribute to the learning community. A poor choice can create a vacuum that creates distractions for programs for students, and draws energy from supervisors and colleagues, for months or years to come.  

How do we get started with staff selection for implementation work?  

First, staff selection is not just an HR function.  It is a leadership function, as well as a function of the job applicant.  HR can check the credentials and backgrounds of applicants.  Leadership can check for relevant values, philosophies, knowledge, skills, and compatibility with the learning community.  Both HR and Leadership can provide a clear description of how the organization is run and the expectations for staff. The applicant decides if he/she can work within the organization that was described. So, a good choice is actually a mutual employment decision – what we call mutual selection.

Second, an important step often overlooked in the selection process is using scenarios, role play and/or behavior rehearsals to assess an applicant’s coachability.  Training is a given in most organizations.  Selection, training and coaching together are what “drive” active implementation. Examples can include checking to see how the applicant accepts feedback delivered in a positive and constructive way.  

We encourage you to explore the difference between traditional hiring, and staff selection for active implementation in your organization. Here are some resources to help you get started and get better.
 

Get Started

Get Better

  • Activity 2.1b: Reflection on Selection
    Selection of staff, from an Active Implementation perspective is different from “selection as usual” in two important ways. Review the two distinctions, and then try to apply the two concepts in your setting or to your initiative.
  • Activity 2.1a: Competency Drive Mapping and Action Planning
    Map the levels of quality and effort being applied to Competency Drivers for a current program or innovation. This activity will help you with action planning as you zero in on Drivers that can benefit from more effort and/or attention.

New on the AI Hub:  Drivers Ed Lesson Series

The Drivers Ed series provides a quick overview of each Active Implementation Driver along with best practices and an opportunity to take the driver for a test drive.  Here are the first two lessons in the series.

  • Fidelity (17 min. 52 sec.)
    The Fidelity Driver is key to effective implementation. In this lesson you will learn how to inventory your system for existing fidelity data & begin using fidelity data as a system diagnostic tool.
  • Selection (9 min. 13 sec.)
    Selection refers to the purposeful process of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring ‘with the end in mind’. This lesson will introduce you to the Selection Driver, review best practices for Selection, and provide an opportunity to apply these concepts.