Having been part of over five different organizations in a leadership capacity I have had the benefit of experiencing several different evaluation tools as both the evaluatee and evaluator. In each instance I would always ask- how does this benefit my performance and impact on the school(s) I lead? Does it really matter how many lessons I have observed or lesson plans I have given feedback on? What about the number of student meetings around attendance or parent conferences about behavior?
Ultimately what matters in an evaluation system is one that impacts and hopefully improves my performance? Right?
With this question I did some research about what the experts say in relation traditional appraisal systems. Recent studies have shown that such systems don’t work and usually result in negative impact. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review (2016) by Cappelli and Tavis there is a trend in corporate practices from accountability to one focused on learning.
With their heavy emphasis on financial rewards and punishments and their end-of-year structure, they hold people accountable for past behavior at the expense of improving current performance and grooming talent for the future, both of which are critical for organizations’ long-term survival. In contrast, regular conversations about performance and development change the focus to building the workforce your organization needs to be competitive both today and years from now. Business researcher Josh Bersin estimates that about 70% of multinational companies are moving toward this model, even if they haven’t arrived quite yet.
To focus on building and sustaining a culture grounded in organizational values such as diversity, joy, adaptability, resilience, student-centered, learning (of course)… requires evaluation tools to be revised. In addition the process should not be one done to a school leader but instead shaped and celebrated by the school leader and his/her supervisor.
NOTE: the evaluation process is not the only component of determining contract renewal or grounds for immediate termination. The assumption is that leaders practice professional ethics and the basic practices around being a professional- respect, supporting all colleagues, effective communication skills, be a model employee… Unfortunately I have experienced school leaders being removed from duty for a variety of issues related to student neglect, not following through on a complaint, budget mismanagement and so forth. None of these topics were explicitly in the evaluation tool but are covered under the education courses to become a leader along with one’s licensing or credentialing and often within a contract.
Looking back on my own experiences the reviews I appreciated the most were ones that occured with some frequency and as a result from regular coaching conversations. I had the pleasure of meeting with my supervisor weekly and together we would engage in different aspects of my role. Sometimes we observed classes together, other times we looked at teacher unit plans & assessments and gave feedback together. At times we reviewed school data taking a ‘pulse’ to identify any issues or challenges that may not appear in our day to day routine. I leveraged him to be my thought partner and coach more so than my evaluator. This kind of regularity in our meetings and our activities meant that the mid-year and end of year evaluation had no surprises and were more of a celebration/ plan forward tool to improve my impact for the future.
For the sake of equity it is important to have an evaluation system. For the sake of sanity it is important that this system and tools reflect the day to day work of a school leader. Therefore different aspects may be highlighted for one leader reflecting their job description and roles/responsibilities. The system should align to the organization’s values, mission and vision with specific desired outcomes set in short term (1 year) and longer term (5 year) intervals. Ultimately the system should be one that is easy to engage with and not be overbearing with paperwork, spreadsheets or duplication to the work a school leader already does. Ideally similar to student led conferences, the school leader would present their achievements and challenges followed by an action plan soliciting input from her/his supervisor. This presentation should include inputs from the different stakeholder groups providing feedback to act on.
Feedback/Management Cycle
This cycle was crafted by Partnership to Uplift Communities Charter School organization in 2007. Key is that the organization followed this cycle for every team member.
Another model I have come across and appreciate is Cognitive Coaching. Here is a brief explanation:
Cognitive CoachingTM is a supervisory/peer coaching model that capitalizes upon and enhances cognitive processes. Art Costa and Bob Garmston, the founders of Cognitive CoachingSM, define it as a set of strategies, a way of thinking and a way of working that invites self and others to shape and reshape their thinking and problem solving capacities.
In other words, Cognitive CoachingSM enables people to modify their capacity to modify themselves. The metaphor of a stagecoach is one used to understand what a coach does—convey a valued person from where s/he is to where s/he wants to be.
Cognitive CoachingTM is based on the following four major assumptions:
- Thought and perception produce all behavior.
- Teaching is constant decision-making.
- To learn something new requires engagement and alteration in thought.
- Humans continue to grow cognitively.
With the performance management cycle and cognitive coaching in mind here are the recommended elements for an effective and streamlined administrator evaluation tool:
| Element | Description | Types of Evidence |
| Organizational Mission/Vision | Each organization has a mission/vision and it is critical that leaders maintain and promote it throughout their day-to-day work. | Student Data Survey results Learning walk throughout hallways |
| Key Initiatives | Specific to the school site- there would be key goals for the year that have been set to achieve in relation to student outcomes, staff retention, parent feedback…. How a school is performing towards these initiatives is in part due to the school leadership. | Action plan aligned to initiative and evidence showing progress. Data around the key metrics either set by the school or State. |
| Culture | To what degree do staff and students wake up excited to be at school? Is there a feeling of safety? Cohesion and community? What is celebrated? | Surveys Observations Data on school incidents |
| Staff empowerment/growth | As a leader it is crucial that we develop our team and provide meaningful feedback/opportunity for those around us to grow. Part of this is securing teacher-voice and coaching leadership throughout the school. | Teacher leadership opportunities External engagement opportunities led by team Coaching logs capturing leadership moves |
| Personal Growth/Reflection | As a leader it is important to hit pause and take stock regularly. Setting personal goals and reflecting on one’s progress is important. Sharing this cycle with your own coach makes it real. | Personal growth/cycle- either a blog, reflection pages, vlog,… |
It is important to note what is NOT on this list- elements that are a given in a leadership role i.e. time management, meeting deadlines, engaging with stakeholders. Personally I never really liked these categories on a leadership evaluation matrix because I believe that one would have achieved in these work expectations previously as part of becoming a leader. Call me ‘old school.’
Once an evaluation tool is agreed upon it is important to have clarity as to what will be reviewed and when. In a prior organization when I held a senior management role me and my team created this flow for coaching conversations with school leaders aligned to the priorities within a school year. Use this as a frame or reference to help develop a common understanding of what will be covered in a given coaching meeting. Here is the link.
For the actual evaluation template and format I have created this generic matrix. Important is to maintain the school mission and vision at the core and identify key smart goals aligned to specific elements related to the job description and what the school needs are. In this generic case I used a school leader job description that had five core areas and for the sake of an example identified two possible goals with action steps that align. One can take this document and replace his/her school’s mission, vision and the core competencies prioritized and then from there work out goals and an action plan.
Following the creation of a purpose built evaluation matrix it is important that school leaders and their evaluators meet regularly and review evidence aligned to the focus areas. Similar to coaching the conversations would balance between reflection, evidence review and identifying next steps. These action plans become living documents that ebb and flow while maintaining the focus on the goals set forth. Avoid moving goal posts mid-stream unless mutually agreed to. For example- a school might set a goal of 45% grade level proficiency by the end of the year, up from 20%. After assessing students and realizing that they are two years behind as a result of the pandemic the goal of 45% might be a bit steep and a revision required. Collecting this data early on allows a school leader to revise with reason a school goal and then might have a goal for how to accelerate learning.
Curious- what evaluation system have you come across that you really like? Please do share on my contact page and with your permission I am happy to add it to a bank of resources.
Thank you for engaging.
Teaching Hacks 4 All 