Reference check questions for teachers

A teacher’s interview and demonstration lesson show you one class on one day, often with students they have never met. Their references saw the year: the routines set in the first weeks, the hard stretch before winter break, the parent conference that went badly and the student who finally caught up. A principal who observed the candidate several times can tell you what the classroom was like when no visit had been scheduled.

References are also part of keeping students safe. Put a direct question about supervision and boundaries with students to every former school, and notice when a reference who was detailed about teaching turns brief or formal on that subject.

Who to ask

• A principal or assistant principal who evaluated them, ideally one who observed the candidate teach more than once.
• A department chair, grade-level lead or instructional coach who planned with them and saw their students’ work.
• For a new teacher, the cooperating teacher or university supervisor from student teaching, who watched them take over a classroom.
• A special education teacher or case manager they worked with, for how they carried out individualized education programs and included every student.

Questions to ask, by competency

Choose the competencies that matter most for the position and two or three questions from each. Ask every reference the same set, and when an answer is a rating, ask for the example behind it.

Classroom management

Students learn little in a room that is not orderly and safe, and the routines a teacher sets early shape the rest of the year.

1. Describe what you saw on an unannounced visit to the candidate’s classroom. What were students doing, and how did the candidate keep them working?
2. Tell me about a student whose behavior challenged the candidate. What did the candidate try, and what changed?
3. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the candidate’s classroom management against other teachers you have evaluated, and what did you observe that supports it? (rating)

Instruction and student progress

A strong lesson plan matters less than whether students learned. Ask what the reference saw in student work and assessment results.

1. When assessment results showed a group of students had not learned something, how did the candidate change their teaching?
2. How did the candidate plan for students working well above or below grade level in the same class?
3. During a typical lesson in the candidate’s class, how much of the thinking and talking did students do, and how much did the candidate do?

Student safety and boundaries

A school answers for every student in a teacher’s care: in hallways, on trips and online as well as in class.

1. How did the candidate supervise students outside the classroom, such as at arrival, dismissal, lunch or on a field trip?
2. How did the candidate communicate with students outside class time, and did it follow school policy?
3. Do you have any concern about the candidate working with students, including anything that led to an investigation?

Families and colleagues

Families experience a school through their child’s teacher, and teachers share students, plans and duties with colleagues every day.

1. Tell me about a difficult conversation the candidate had with a parent or guardian. How did they prepare, and how did it end?
2. How did the candidate keep families informed when a student was falling behind, before report cards went out?
3. How did the candidate work with special education staff to carry out a student’s accommodations in their class?

Close the reference

End every reference the same way: ask whether they would hire or work with the candidate again and why, what support would help the candidate do their best work, and whether there is anything else you should know. The general question bank explains why the first of these matters most.

Checks a reference does not replace

• The teaching license or certificate, with its subject and grade-level endorsements and any public disciplinary action, through the state education agency that issued it.
• The background checks your state and district require for school employees, such as fingerprint-based criminal history checks where they apply.

Warning signs to follow up

• No reference from a principal or other evaluator at the candidate’s most recent school.
• A reference who discusses teaching in detail but turns brief or formal when asked about student safety or boundaries.
• A move in the middle of a school year that no reference will explain.
• Praise for subject knowledge with nothing about what happened in the candidate’s classroom.
• A mention of the candidate messaging students on personal accounts or meeting them alone outside school activities.

One warning sign is a reason to ask another question, not a verdict. Reference check red flags covers how to check a concern fairly.

Questions to leave out

Ask only about the work. Before an offer, the EEOC’s guidance says an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, any question it could not ask the candidate directly. Leave out health, medical leave, age, family plans and other protected characteristics. What to leave out has the full list.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your organization, and in your state, with your counsel or HR policy office.