Deep diving into values: A way to enhance empowerment evaluation

Abstract

In recent years, the New South Wales government education system changed the way whole-school evaluation occurs. Moving away from external school reviews when data suggested underperformance, principals are now required to develop 3-year strategic school plans and self-evaluate them in consultation with their staff, parents and students. An external validation process is then undertaken by principal peers. The internal school process presumes a stakeholder-engagement approach to school planning and evaluation. It further presumes that stakeholders are not only consulted but also feel they understand and own the plan. One school principal, realising the challenges that the new model posed for himself and his staff, engaged an evaluation team to develop and implement a process that would help his school rise to these challenges. This article describes the empowerment evaluation process that ensued. It first explains the context of the school that gave rise to empowerment over other forms of stakeholder-engagement evaluation processes. It discusses how the literature on values underpinned the conceptual framework and operational model. The article then illustrates how the process enabled the staff to engage explicitly with personal and organisational values and how a focus on these values was built into every stage of the process. Finally, the benefits as well as the challenges of this approach are described.