To set the stage for a proposed teacher-effectiveness program, Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have reorganized the human resources office and are considering changes to the "eligibility list" used to rank prospective hires.

The school board recently divided the human resources department into two parts -- talent management and performance management -- to complement efforts to improve the recruitment, hiring and evaluation of teachers.

The district has asked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for $50 million to help fund initiatives to improve teacher effectiveness. The foundation has said it's willing to fund Pittsburgh's plan -- and similar plans in four other cities -- but hasn't said how much it would give to each.

Overall, Pittsburgh's proposal would cost more than $85 million over five to seven years. It would include a teacher academy, a more rigorous evaluation system, performance pay, special pay for special duties and new recruitment techniques, such as hiring earlier in the year with the aim of snapping up choice candidates.

In March, the district put human resources in the charge of Linda Lane, deputy superintendent for instruction, assessment and accountability, because of the link between school staffing and student achievement.

"The teachers' effectiveness is at the heart of that," said Dr. Lane, who once oversaw HR in the Des Moines Public Schools.

Previously, human resources in the Pittsburgh district was a stand-alone department, and Frank Chester, who was chief human resources officer, reported directly to district Superintendent Mark Roosevelt.

In reconfiguring human resources, the school board named Mr. Chester chief of talent management, responsible for recruitment and hiring, and Jody Buchheit Spolar chief of performance management, responsible for employee evaluation and related issues. Ms. Spolar previously was executive director of employee relations and organizational development.

The district now is recruiting for a handful of new positions -- including recruiting coordinator and staffing manager -- to support the talent- and performance-management efforts.

State law requires the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia school districts to rank teaching candidates on an eligibility list and hire from the list. Now, the board is considering changing the way candidates are ranked and hired.

In part, Dr. Lane said, she would like to start using an online screening program that evaluates and scores candidates' responses to a series of questions.

The school board also is considering a policy change that would require administrators to develop a profile of each candidate, and the profile would indicate whether the applicant has "demonstrated distinguished urban teaching experience."

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