Hiring the Best Teachers? Rural Values and Person–Organization Fit Theory

Abstract

Person–organization fit theorizes perceptions of congruity between applicants and organizational characteristics in hiring decisions. This study extends person–organization fit to teacher selection in rural districts, hypothesizing that officials with strong rural values favor applicants who reflect the community's sense of place. Rural values of 214 decision makers from the population of Kentucky districts were correlated with five sets of personnel selection practices— three hiring process variables and two tacit fit filters. Results strongly confirm the theoretical model. All correlations were statistically significant, with most effect sizes between .22 and .67. Implications for teacher selection and school accountability are discussed.