Evidence suggests both that teacher quality matters for students' outcomes and that principals might not hire the "best" teachers. However, relatively little is known about what characteristics principals value in teachers or how they make hiring decisions. In my dissertation, I use a diverse array of data sources to examine the demand side of teacher labor markets. First, interviews with 31 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principals provide the foundation to generate hypotheses about the teacher hiring process. Second, I use quantitative survey data to examine what qualities CPS principals look for in teachers, and whether the characteristics principals look for vary across schools and principals. Finally, I use a large, nationally representative sample of districts, schools, principals and teachers, the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to explore whether the timing of hiring decisions appears to affect teacher quality.

This dissertation examines the demand side of teacher labor markets, exploring the teacher hiring process at both the school- and district-levels. Using in-depth qualitative interviews, the first study, examines what teacher characteristics CPS principals look for in teachers, where they find teachers to fill the vacancies in their schools, and what their hiring timelines are. Findings from this study indicate that principals look for teachers who care about students, are willing to go beyond contractual obligations, and have classroom management skills. Differences across low- and high-achieving schools are observed.

The second study uses a survey of CPS principals to expand on qualitative findings, examining differences across principals and schools in terms of the teacher characteristics principals look for. Findings include that principals in low-achieving schools are more focused on classroom management skills and teachers' ability to increase student test scores than their counterparts in high-achieving schools.

The third study uses a nationally representative data set to provide the first quantitative exploration of the association between the timing of teacher hires and teacher quality. I use labor market fixed effects regression techniques. Findings from this study do not indicate a relationship between district-level timing of teacher hires and indicators of teacher quality including selectivity of teachers' undergraduate institutions, certification, and master's degree.