Can big data and predictive analytics help school leaders hire better teachers?
That's the new pitch being made by two companies: TeacherMatch, from Chicago, and Washington-based Hanover Research. Both claim that their new algorithm-driven teacher-selection tools can predict the impact teacher candidates will have on student test scores should they be hired, which they argue would be a significant upgrade over the screeners currently in use.
Between them, the companies say they have signed up nearly two dozen districts and charter organizations already.
"I'm seeing a shift in the way that [K-12] human resources departments are viewing themselves," said TeacherMatch CEO Don Fraynd. "There's a whole new breed of folks who are saying that we're in charge of finding teachers...shouldn't we care about student achievement?"
