Beyond the individual assessment of principals: School‐based accountability in dynamic schools

Abstract

Principals of truly restructured schools are principals who have chosen to deal positively and directly with complex forces impacting all schools today. These principals shape dynamic schools that are actively involved in many school improvement efforts. Principals in these schools behave differently than their colleagues in traditional schools; therefore, evaluating their work requires a different approach.

In this article, we discuss the forces that are changing the role of principals and that are leading to the emergence of dynamic schools, and explore the implications of the new image of the principalship for principal evaluation. The analysis presented suggests that the evaluation should include both individual and school‐based components following the ways in which work and tasks are organized in dynamic schools. The proposed evaluation is an on‐going collaborative effort that itself becomes a key strategy for school improvement.