An analysis of the principal performance domains within the principal evaluation process in Indiana

Thomas Edward Fletcher, Purdue University

Abstract

This study examined the evaluation of principals by Indiana superintendents with reference to the twenty-one performance domains identified by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (1993). This study sought to determine which sub-set of the performance domains are thought by superintendents to be the most significant in the evaluation process and which performance domains were found in their principal evaluation instruments. The population consisted of 101 superintendents and central office administrators responsible for principal evaluations. Questionnaires were mailed to 144 superintendents of school districts who had a minimum of five principals. The superintendents were to complete the questionnaires and return them along with a copy of their principal evaluation instruments. The return rate was 70%, or 101 questionnaires and 81 principal evaluation instruments. The survey findings were presented in terms of reporting the domain rankings for each of the four questions and the percentages of agreement among the superintendents. A comparison of results revealed a pattern of domains that consistently ranked among the top, middle, and bottom third of all ranking lists. A comprehensive examination of the principal evaluation instruments indicated that the top ranking domains were being assessed. The data indicated that the superintendents thought the most important principal domains were: Leadership, Instruction and the Learning Environment, Motivating Others, and Judgment. They believed the least important domains were: Philosophical and Cultural Values, Policy and Political Influences, Legal and Regulatory Applications, Measurement and Evaluation, and Delegation. The most commonly found principal performance domains were Leadership and the Instructional and the Learning Environment. The majority of the twenty-one performance domains were not currently being evaluated. The superintendents agreed that the skills representative of the domains were importance in the evaluation process, but they were not currently assessing for the majority of the skills. This study concluded that the participating Indiana superintendents did not assess the majority of the domains. There is a need to improve the principal evaluation process in Indiana by including the assessment of the skills representative of the twenty-one performance domains skills. Seven tables are included.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

McInerney, Purdue University.

Subject Area

School administration

COinS