How do NYC public schools hire teachers?
Investigating the end-to-end hiring process of NYC public school teacher hiring teams and improving their experience.
The New York City Department of Education's Office of Teacher Recruitment & Quality (TRQ) assists principals and assistant principals in their identification, selection, and orientation of new teachers and the retention of existing teachers. TRQ creates hiring resources and manages a resource repository, runs educational webinars, and offers candidate identification services for all New York City public schools.
The TRQ asked our team to investigate the end-to-end hiring process of public school teachers, to identify how hiring teams interact with TRQ resources, and to analyze how TRQ could improve the experience of hiring teams.
Hiring processes for hard-to-staff positions, such as Special Education roles and Multilingual roles, and the application of novel hiring frameworks, such as the Inclusive Teacher Recruitment and Hiring Initiative, were particular areas of focus during the project.
Overview
Team
UX Researchers, Project Manager
My Role
UX Researcher
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Dovetail, Google Docs
Timeline
May 2025 - September 2025
Research Questions
How do hirers of NYC public schools hire teachers, especially for hard-to-fill roles? What are their challenges, pain points, and needs?
1
Do hirers interact with the TQR’s H.I.R.E. connections website or utilize TQR materials? If so, how? Do these tools and resources meet hirers’ needs?
2
Understanding the hirers
6 focus group sessions
3 general
3 targeted
Special Education staffing
Multilingual staffing
ITRHI staffing
We decided that a series of virtual focus groups with NYC public schools principals and assistant principals would be the most efficient way to collect the rich qualitative data we would need to understand the hiring process while respecting the busy schedules of our participants.
6 participants
2 principals
4 assistant principals
6 districts
The Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Inclusive hiring practices, Special Education hiring, and Multilingual hiring had dedicated focus group sessions as they were areas of specific interest to the client. Focus groups were virtual, lasted between 60 and 90 minutes and were facilitated by one to two researchers and observed by one to two researchers via Zoom. TRQ representatives were present at each focus group.
Analyzing the data
Transcripts were generated from focus group recordings and anonymized and refined for clarity using Chat GPT. Anonymized and refined transcripts were checked for accuracy against recordings.
Data Processing
Coding - Processed transcripts were uploaded to Dovetail for coding. Two rounds of coding were conducted on the transcripts. One round with descriptive codes, followed by one round of interpretive codes.
Thematic Analysis
Affinity Mapping - Coded qualitative data were then imported to Figjam for collaborative affinity mapping. What emerged was 5 different themes, with 32 sub-themes.
Data That Tells a Story
Explore interactive visualizations that uncover insights, reveal trends, and help guide smart decisions. Our charts and graphs turn numbers into narratives—helping you understand and explore key information at a glance.
Insights
Inherent complexity
Hiring process is multistep, multifaceted, nuanced, and has numerous pain points. Time constraints, resource constraints, and lack of clear information
Reinventing the wheel
Hirers are siloed, they do not communicate frequently with other hirers or share knowledge, leading to each creating their own strategies to hire, onboarding, and retain teachers.
Lack of awareness
Hirers’ use of TQR resources is low, and with some not even aware of the tools available, especially the H.I.R.E. connections website.
Answers to Research Questions
How do hirers of NYC public schools hire teachers, especially for hard-to-fill roles? What are their challenges, pain points, and needs?
1
Do hirers interact with the TQR’s H.I.R.E. connections website or utilize TQR materials? If so, how? Do these tools and resources meet hirers’ needs?
2
Improving the hiring experience
Improve outreach
Communication of TQR resources to hirers could be improved through regular emails sent not just to principals but to assistant principals and whole hiring teams.
Foster community
Horizontal-communication, such as meet-ups, webinars, and discussion groups, between hiring teams facilitates knowledge transfer and promotes community while minimizing hiring team feelings of being overwhelmed or not knowing where to turn with questions.
Foster community
Horizontal-communication, such as meet-ups, webinars, and discussion groups, between hiring teams facilitates knowledge transfer and promotes community while minimizing hiring team feelings of being overwhelmed or not knowing where to turn with questions.
Impact
As requested by the client, our team created 8 distinct reports, each focusing on one theme or sub-theme uncovered during our analysis. Our recommendations for how to improve the hiring experience include:
Improve outreach
Communication of TQR resources to hirers could be improved through regular emails sent not just to principals but to assistant principals and whole hiring teams.
Foster community
Horizontal-communication, such as meet-ups, webinars, and discussion groups, between hiring teams facilitates knowledge transfer and promotes community while minimizing hiring team feelings of being overwhelmed or not knowing where to turn with questions.
Foster community
Horizontal-communication, such as meet-ups, webinars, and discussion groups, between hiring teams facilitates knowledge transfer and promotes community while minimizing hiring team feelings of being overwhelmed or not knowing where to turn with questions.
As requested by the client, our team created 8 distinct reports, each focusing on one theme or sub-theme uncovered during our analysis. Our recommendations for how to improve the hiring experience include.
We delivered 8 distinct research reports and service design recommendations, totaling over XX pages. created 8 distinct reports, each focusing on one theme or sub-theme uncovered during our analysis. Our recommendations for how to improve the hiring experience include.
What I learned
Every decision we make is shaped by a clear sense of purpose. Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.