Recruitment and Selection: Meeting the Leadership Shortage in One Large Canadian School District - by Anthony H. Normore

Oct 15, 2026

Leadership development investment across North America is challenged by an increasing shortage of adequately prepared school administrators. The study investigates a recruitment and selection program designed to attract and retain aspiring and practicing administrators in a large urban Canadian district in Ontario. Using a framework that emphasizes the principal’s evolving role, the article describes recruitment efforts, participant perspectives on process effectiveness, and links findings to the literature, concluding with practice and policy implications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and scope of the study

Framework

Policy and shared rationale for reform

Role of the school administrator: changing demands and expectations

Expectations shaped by student diversity

Recruitment & Selection: Meeting the Leadership Shortage in One Large Canadi. . . Page 1 of 15 Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, Issue \#30, May 12, 2004. © by CJEAP and the author. Recruitment and Selection: Meeting the Leadership Shortage in One Large Canadian School District by Anthony H. Normore, Florida International University Introduction Despite the millions of dollars invested in leadership development programs across North America, an increasing shortage of adequately prepared administrators continues to loom in face of challenges confronting public schools (Canadian Association of Principals, 1999; Educational Research Service, 1999, 2000) . Developing a more comprehensive source of information about barriers to attracting good candidates and about ways in which school districts, professional associations, and institutions of higher education can contribute to ensuring that these candidates are prepared and ready to move into leadership positions is an investment that would pay high dividends to our public schools and the children they serve (Bartel, 1994; Begley, 2000; Daresh, 1997; Dufour, 2001) . Due to the lack of interest in the administrator role, and inadequate leadership preparation of individuals within the ranks, school districts report challenges in recruitment and selection processes for school leaders (Grimmett & Echols, 2000; Leithwood & Duke, 1999; Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinback, 1999; Seyfarth, 2002) . It is not surprising to find a parallel concern for the recruitment and selection process of school administrators due to the continuing recognition of the importance of the school principal. In the past, it was relatively easy to attract teachers into the ranks of school administrators because male educators saw administration as a normal part of career advancement. Traditionally, if teachers wanted to earn more money, achieve higher status, or earn greater respect, they would leave the classroom and move toward a principalship or some other administrative role (Carlson, 1972; Stout, 1973; Warren, 1989; Weindling, 1992; Weindling & Earley, 1995; Winter & Dunaway, 1997) . Today, fewer teachers are likely to see administration as a way to improve their salaries, prestige, or respect among other colleagues. The complexities, changing demands and expectations within administrative roles have caused a shortage in applicant pools. Consequently, an urgent need for district personnel to deliberately invest time, energy, and money in developing good recruitment practices and policies as a way to attract more qualified leaders of education is at the fore (Baltzell & Dentler, 1992; Coffin & Leithwood, 2000; ERS, 2000; Herman,1994; Normore, 2001; Rebore, 1992) . The purpose of this study was to investigate a recruitment and selection program used to attract and retain aspiring and practicing school administrators in North Western School District (pseudonym) -a large urban Canadian school district in Ontario. The district recently developed and implemented a recruitment and selection program in attempts to meet the leadership shortage for its schools. For purposes of the article, recruitment and selection refers to the processes and strategies school districts engage in to attract future leaders . The article will focus on: (a) a description of the recruitment and selection efforts, and; (b) perspectives from the participants about the process and its effectiveness, followed by a discussion. An analysis of the findings is presented and linked to the literature . Implications for practice and policy are discussed. Framework Policymakers and "education engineers" have spent more than two decades looking for "magic bullets" that fix schools. Crews & Weakley (1995) stated: Show me a good school and I’ll show you a good school leader…when you poke into the inner workings of a successful school, you will find-without fail---a skillful leader who understands how to transform e

FAQs

Why does the article argue there is a shortage of prepared school administrators?

It attributes the shortage to inadequate leadership preparation and fewer teachers viewing administration as a path to improved salary, prestige, or respect, compounded by growing complexity in administrative expectations.

What does the study examine in North Western School District?

It investigates a recruitment and selection program the district recently developed to address the leadership shortage, including how the program works and how participants evaluate its effectiveness.

How does the framework section describe the principal’s importance?

It links effective schools to skilled leaders who transform educational practice and emphasizes that principals face increasingly complex expectations shaped by a new generation of students.

Oct 15, 2026

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