Persistent and consistent criticism of our nation's educational system has increased pressure on school districts and teacher education programs to improve the quality of teachers in our public schools. While there is research regarding the characteristics of effective teachers, the difficulty is often in identifying and hiring those teacher candidates who possess those characteristics. This study utilized a multi-part survey to examine the perceptions of school administrators and teacher educators in five states regarding the most valuable and important components of the teacher hiring process with a focus on the professional portfolio as a practical tool for delivering and documenting those components. Results demonstrated close agreement between the perceptions both groups in regard to the teacher hiring process and yielded some useful information to assist schools in identifying and employing high quality teachers.