What Types of Leadership Do Principal Evaluation Policies Promote? Evidence From 25 Districts in Three States

• In Event: 69.056 - Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: 69.056-3 - Pecuniary and Nonpecuniary Investments in Education

Abstract

Principals play a critical role in providing high-quality education to preK-12 students. While we know that principals shape how well schools function, teachers teach, and students learn, we know remarkably little about what districts can do to improve principal quality. In this paper, we present findings regarding the extent to which one promising policy—principal evaluation—promotes learning-centered leadership, a construct linked to student performance. We analyze principal evaluation policies through document analysis and surveys of principals in 25 districts in Connecticut, Michigan, and North Carolina to determine the extent to which principal evaluation systems focus on learning-centered leadership in policy and practice.

Authors

• Madeline Mavrogordato, Michigan State University

• Morgaen L. Donaldson, University of Connecticut - Storrs

• Peter A. Youngs, University of Virginia

• Shaun Michael Dougherty, University of Connecticut

• Rachel Sue White, Old Dominion University

• John L. Lane, Michigan State University