Here's what I learned after 16 years as a principal: the quickest path to schoolwide instructional excellence isn't professional development—it's intentional hiring.

Great teachers require minimal supervision. They self-assess based on student responses, adapt curriculum without losing impact, and naturally lead their colleagues. The challenge is identifying them during recruitiment.

1. My three-step process starts with defining greatness in the job description itself. Instead of generic qualifications, I write descriptors like "values students' questions as entry points into their understanding" or "supports productive peer conversations as a tool for teaching." These signal responsive, adaptive teaching—qualities that can't be faked in an interview.

2. The questions follow the same principle. When hiring for project-based learning, I aligned interview questions with PBL frameworks, focusing on beliefs, practices, and resource use. We hired a recent graduate over experienced candidates because her summer teaching experience revealed the exact dispositions we needed.

3. The real win came after hiring. One of our new teachers convinced her team to study "Notice and Note" together and implement conferring strategies. I couldn't have influenced reading instruction like she did—and I didn't need to.

When you hire teacher leaders with specific expertise and the capacity to influence colleagues, you multiply your leadership impact. Invest in the process, and the best candidates surface naturally.*