Assessing Leadership Via Self-Exam

School Administrator, Oct, 1995 by Samuel Depaul

A positive relationship must exist between the superintendent and school board if they are to become an effective and functional leadership-management team.

Imperative to their relationship is the process for evaluating the superintendent. Whether that process is formal or informal, some correspondence between the two parties must be acknowledged to document the superintendent's performance review.

My System

The following process describes the pertinent aspects of a self-assessment report used in two school districts where I served as superintendent. The self-assessment report has these characteristics:

* Comprehensive and annual.

The superintendent's self-assessment report is a comprehensive document that includes detailed information about the school year, administrative growth and development, goals for the year with status reporting, a summary of accomplishments, a log of monthly activities, and a self-evaluation form. The report is filed at the end of a school year, although the process actually begins at the start of each school year and includes a mid-year progress report.

Goal setting by and for the superintendent should occur with a process that involves board members. Saturday morning workshops, a needs assessment, and other planning formats can be effective means for goal-setting and planning.

Administrators, teachers, parents, and students also are valuable resource persons who can contribute to the goal-setting process for the superintendent, in addition to collaboration with board members.

* Based on goal setting.

Several issues evolved during the interviewing process and my first months on the job that I interpreted as being the lesson plan for the new superintendent. Shortly after my appointment, I transformed those issues into goals. This activity initiates the superintendent's self-assessment reporting process.

Other administrators in the district participate in a similar process with the superintendent.

Recent goal areas for me included administrative performance evaluation and compensation, strategic planning, visitations to district school buildings, contract negotiations, site-based management, community involvement, and curriculum development.

* Incorporates supplemental activities.

In addition to goal-setting, other documentation shows administrative growth and development. These include committee membership, attendance at seminars and workshops, publication in professional journals, awards and accomplishments, a log of school-related activities beyond the regular day, and a formal self-evaluation form based on the superintendent's job description.

* Charts mid-year progress.

A formal mid-year progress report, submitted to the board in January, updates the board on what was proposed at the beginning of the year. The report includes a narrative that documents progress made from August through January, as well as projections for the remainder of the school year. It is not unusual at this point to delete or add goals. This forces the superintendent to remain focused on time-on-tasks.

The self-assessment report develops from a mere list to an extended elaborated report that documents the progress on each goal.

Documented Progress

As the end of a school year approaches, the superintendent's self-assessment report begins to take shape and meaning as a complete formal document. Quantity does not always mean quality, but in this format every page contains pertinent data and documentation about the school district relevant to the current school year.

The superintendent's activities and leadership ability can be well-documented with this formal process. The yearly document provides an organized, comprehensive review of what the superintendent has accomplished that year.

In addition to providing a wealth of information about the superintendent and district's status and progress, this document provides board members with a rationale and justification for compensation review.