Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This article is designed to help educational leaders and university faculty who prepare them become aware of the increasing need to view the self-evaluation of leadership preparation programs as a pivotal new starting point in efforts to improve schools. An effective self-evaluation will lead to better preparation programs and, with other conditions, to better subsequent practice. The article begins with an outline of incentives and disincentives for proceeding with self-evaluation. It continues with highlights of inner structural changes required for initiating self-evaluation. The rest of the article offers a selfevaluation model that includes the use of outcome-based standards. The evaluation design is presented step-by-step and in great detail, including evaluation questions, evaluation criteria, evaluation data, and data collection procedures and analyses, as well as faculty and student roles in each step of the process. The model is offered as an example rather than as a dictum, a debate opener rather than a debate summarizer.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baker, P. J. , Ashby, D. E. , & Rau, W. C. (1999, April). Mandating statewide improvement in planning and restructuring core technologies of the local school. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

DiMaggio, P. J. , & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48, 147-160.

Donmoyer, R. , Imber, M. , & Schuerich, J. J. (Eds.). (1995). The knowledge base in educational administration: Multiple perspectives. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Dornbusch, S. M. , & Scott, W. R. (1975). Evaluation and the exercise of authority. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Floit, D. , Baker, P. J. , Rau, W. C. , & Ashby, D. E. (2000, April). The Illinois alternative to narrow high stakes accountability: An empirical analysis of quality assurance and improvement planning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

Glasman, N. S. , & Glasman, L. D. (1990). Educational reform and evaluation. In S. Bachharach (Ed.), Educational reform (chap. 30). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Glasman, N. S. , & Heck, R. (2002). Principals evaluation in the United States. In D. Stufflebeam (Ed.), International encyclopedia of educational evaluation (chap. 41). Boston: Kluwer.

Glasman, N. S. , & Nevo, D. (1988). Evaluation in decision making. Boston: Kluwer.

The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation . (1981). Standards for evaluations of educational programs, projects, and materials. New York: McGraw-Hill.

10.

The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation . (1988). The personnel evaluation standards. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

11.

Kanstoroom, M. , & Finn, C. E., Jr. (Eds.). (1999). Better teachers, better schools. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

12.

McCarthy, M. M. , & Kuh, G. D. (1997). Continuity and change: The educational leadership professoriate. Columbia, MO: University Council for Educational Administration.

13.

McCarthy, M. M. , Kuh, G. D. , Newell, L. J. , & Iacona, C. M. (1988). Under scrutiny: The educational administration professoriate. Tempe, AZ: University Council for Educational Administration.

14.

Mitchell, B. , & Cunningham, L. L. (1990). Educational leadership and changing contexts of families, communities, and schools. In Eighty-ninth NSSE yearbook, Part II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

15.

Murphy, J. (1992). The landscape of leadership preparation: Reframing the education of school administrators. Newbury Park, CA: Corwin Press.

16.

National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration . (1987). Leaders for America’s schools. Tempe, AZ: University Council for Educational Administration.

17.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration . (1989). Improving the preparation of school administrators: An agenda for reform. Charlottesville, VA: Author.

18.

Scott, W. R. (1994). Institutional analysis: Variance and process theory approaches. In W. R. Scott , J. W. Meyer , & Associates (Eds.), Institutional environments and organizations: Structural complexity and individualism (pp. 81-99). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

19.

Scriven, M. (1967). The methodology of evaluation. In R. E. Stake (Ed.), AERA Monograph Series on Curriculum Evaluation, No. 1. Chicago: Rand McNally.

20.

Southern Regional Education Board. (2001). SREB leadership initiative. Retrieved from http:// www.sreb.org/main/Leadership/leadindex.asp

21.

Tallerico, M. , Burstyn, J. N. , & Poole, W. (1993). Gender and politics at work: Why women exit the superintendence. Fairfax, VA: National Policy Board for Educational Administration.

22.

Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds . (2001). Leaders count report. New York: Author.

Program Self-Evaluation for Continuous Improvement

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References