Sample Interview Questions for the Superintendent, Board, and Central Office Administrators Question Vision and Purpose 1. In your own words, what is the vision the school district is seeking to achieve? Current Profile 2. How well is the district doing in achieving its vision? Governance and Leadership 3. What is the nature of the relationship between the Board and district leadership? How does this relationship support the effective operation of the district? Teaching and Learning 4. How does the district support teaching and learning? Documenting and Using Results 5. How does the district regularly collect, review, analyze, and use data to make decisions across the district? Listen and probe for: Does the vision serve as the focus for assessing student performance and system and school effectiveness? Is there evidence that the vision guides allocations of time, human, material, and fiscal resources? How are stakeholders involved in the development of the vision? What does the data say about student performance and district effectiveness? What trends are you seeing? What are the district s strengths and weaknesses? Is there clarity of roles and responsibilities? How does the Board and district leadership lead, provide direction, and support, and allocate resources across the district? How does the Board and district leadership involve stakeholders and encourage collaboration and shared responsibility? How does the system leadership ensure equity of learning opportunities and support for innovation? Are opportunities provided for ongoing board training? How is curriculum selected, regularly reviewed, and monitored? How does the district ensure curriculum is research-based? How does the curriculum provide opportunities for all students to acquire requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes? Does the curriculum reflect a commitment to equity and demonstrate an appreciation of diversity? How does the district support teachers in using proven instructional practices that actively engage students in their learning, provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills to real world situations, and give students feedback on their performance? What systems are in place to ensure continuity as students articulate through the system? Does the district climate support student learning? How does the district coordinate and ensure ready access to instructional technology, information and media services, and materials? Does the district have a comprehensive assessment system in place? Is the system based on clearly defined performance measures? Does the system yield timely, accurate information that is meaningful to stakeholders? What types of data does the district collect as part of its assessment system? Are comparison and trend data used? How is data shared and used? Is data used to assess student performance, identify gaps, evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction, and to determine the effectiveness of interventions? 11
Resources and Support Systems 6. How does the district ensure it has sufficient human, material, and fiscal resources in place to implement the curriculum and meet the needs of all students? Stakeholder Communication and Relationships 7. How does the district foster effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders? Continuous Improvement 8. What is the process that the district uses for continuous improvement? Describe the process, including how it is implemented and monitored. What are current improvement goals and what have been the results? Quality Assurance 9. What processes does the district use to monitor and ensure quality at all levels of the system? Is there systematic review of the results of the assessment system? Are multiple assessments used to gauge student performance? How does the district demonstrate growth in student performance? What processes are in place to ensure that the district employs and appropriately assigns staff who are well-qualified for their assignments? What ongoing learning opportunities are provided to all staff to improve their effectiveness? What processes are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of those learning opportunities? Does the district engage in long-range budgetary planning? How does the district ensure it has sufficient financial resources to support its educational programs and plans for improvement? How does the district maintain and ensure a safe, orderly, and healthy environment? How does the district ensure its technology infrastructure is up-todate and sufficient to meet system goals? How does the district provide and coordinate support services to meet the health, counseling, safety, co-curricular, transportation, and special learning needs of all students? What system-wide strategies are in place to listen to, communicate with, and collaborate with stakeholders? What opportunities for shared leadership are provided to stakeholders? How does the district know if it has the understanding, commitment, and support of its stakeholders? Does the district implement a collaborative and ongoing process for improvement that aligns the functions of the system with the expectations for student learning? Is the system demonstrating progress? Are improvements sustained? Are new improvement efforts informed by results of earlier efforts? How does the district guide, align, support, and monitor the implementation of improvement efforts across the system? How are resources allocated and aligned to support the district s improvement efforts? Does the district allow for appropriate flexibility at the school level to tailor improvement efforts to site needs? How does the district ensure that the AdvancED standards are met across the district and its schools? What processes are in place to ensure that the district and its schools are operating with quality, consistency, and integrity? 12
Sample Interview Questions for District Support Personnel Question Vision and Purpose 1. In your own words, what is the vision the school district is seeking to achieve? Current Profile 2. How well is the district doing in achieving its vision? Listen and probe for: How does the vision impact your work and that of your department? How was your department involved in the development of the vision? What trends are you seeing in your department, in student performance, and in overall district effectiveness? What are the district s strengths and weaknesses? Governance and Leadership 3. How does the board and district leadership guide the district and support the work of your department? How does the board and district leadership work together to lead and provide adequate direction, support, and feedback throughout the district and its schools? What leadership opportunities are available in your department? How does the district share leadership and responsibility? Teaching and Learning 4. What role does your department play in supporting the teaching and learning process? How is your department involved in decisions that affect teaching and learning? Documenting and Using Results 5. How does your department use data to inform its work and determine its effectiveness in meeting improvement goals and the district s vision? Resources and Support Systems 6. How does the district ensure that your department has the resources and skills needed to fulfill its tasks? What data does your department collect and use to determine its effectiveness? How is student performance data shared and used by your department to make decisions? What professional development and ongoing support are provided? What processes are in place to ensure adequate human, material, and financial resources are allocated to your department? 13
Stakeholder Communications and Relationships 7. In what ways are district and community stakeholders involved in your department s work; and conversely, how do other departments collaborate with your department and engage in shared decision making? Continuous Improvement 8. What process do you use in your department to continuously improve? How does this process support the district s overall improvement efforts? Quality Assurance 9. How do you know that your department is meeting expectations and performing quality work? What methods are in place to foster and ensure cross-department communication and collaboration? How are appropriate district and community stakeholders involved in all aspects of the district s operations? Is an improvement plan in place? How does it relate to the district s improvement plan? What are the department s goals? What results have been achieved? How is progress monitored, and how are results used? What quality assurance mechanisms does your department have in place? How does the district guide, monitor, and support your department s work? 14
Sample Interview Questions for District Community Stakeholders Question Vision and Purpose 1. In your own words, what is the vision the school district is seeking to achieve? Current Profile 2. From your perspective, what are the district s strengths and weaknesses? Governance and Leadership 3. How well does the district leadership guide the work of the district and promote student learning? As parents and community members, what leadership opportunities are available to you in the district? Listen and probe for: How are community stakeholders involved in the development of the vision? How are students performing? Has student performance improved? Does the leadership promote student performance and district effectiveness? How does the leadership involve stakeholders and encourage collaboration and shared responsibility? Teaching and Learning 4. How do community stakeholders describe the teaching and learning environment in the district? Is the curriculum relevant and rigorous? Are students actively involved in their learning and kept informed of their progress? Are students encouraged to use higher order thinking skills and apply their learning? Are students supported if they are having difficulty meeting expectations? How are students supported as they transition from school to school and grade to grade? Does the district maintain a system-wide climate that supports student learning? Does the district provide ready access to instructional technology? Documenting and Using Results 5. How is data about student performance and overall district effectiveness shared with community stakeholders? If you have students in the district, how is that data used to enhance your child s learning? What data is shared? How useful is it to community members? As parents, do you feel you receive adequate information about the district and your child s performance? If not, what data would be helpful? How is your district doing compared to other similar districts? 15
Resources and Support Systems 6. How does the district ensure sufficient human, material, and fiscal resources are in place to implement the curriculum and meet the needs of all students? Stakeholder Communications and Relationships 7. How does the district foster communication and shared leadership with and among community stakeholders? Continuous Improvement 8. How are parents and community members involved in and informed of the district s improvement process? Quality Assurance 9. How does the district ensure that all students are receiving a quality education? Do you feel that the district employs and appropriately assigns staff who are wellqualified for their assignments? Does the district maintain and ensure a safe, orderly, and healthy environment? Does the district maintain up-to-date and sufficient technology infrastructure to meet system goals? Does the district maintain appropriate support services to meet the health, counseling, safety, co-curricular, transportation, and special learning needs of all students? If you have a concern, do you know where to bring it? Is there openness to hearing and responding to concerns? Does the district have ways it regularly listens to stakeholders? How does the district tap the knowledge and skills of stakeholders like you? How does the district regularly communicate with stakeholders? Is the communication timely and useful? What role do parents and community members play in helping the district meet its improvement goals? What have been the results of improvement efforts? What quality assurance mechanisms are you aware of that the district has in place? How does the district support schools across the district? 16