A handful of urban districts, such as Denver, the District of Columbia, Pittsburgh, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, are taking steps to practice "strategic hiring." The efforts consist of collecting a more-robust set of information on candidates, developing stronger relationships with teacher-preparation programs, and tracking new hires to determine their success in the classroom. Foundations are playing an important role in the efforts, too. Although research indicates that there is no foolproof way to tell on the front end who will make a stellar teacher, human-resources officers contend that being more deliberative about hiring reinforces a message about the value placed on high-quality teaching. For school districts, the move toward strategic hiring extends beyond collecting better information for principals. It also means ensuring a pool flush with applicants year round--something that has required a greater cultivation of talent pipelines.