When I read this article from EdWeek, I was reminded of a study I had done a long time ago, comparing leaders’ self-assessments with assessments that can be obtained from subordinates, from peers, and from supervisors. Turns out that principals, like all leaders, are not perfect, even if their self-image seems to say so. And others, including our own subordinates, have plenty to offer in helping to round out the full picture. Here’s the EdWeek article:
What this means to me is that most principals are…human beings. It is no surprise that the principal’s self-perception is rosier than assessments that can be obtained from the point of view of one’s teachers, one’s peers, and one’s boss. The same is true of teachers. And superintendents. And military leaders. And business executives. Etc.
What matters is what we do with this information. The principal’s supervisor (in many cases, the superintendent) can collect such 360 degree feedback and relevant baseline school performance data, and confront the principal with that information as part of their evaluation and professional development program. Then the principal could use that information in a reality-based planning session, planning not only their own professional development but also their school improvement plan.
Such reality-based feedback is not harmful and not to be feared if superintendents have the same kind of “growth mindset” that they present for public consumption in public comments at school board meetings. The same kind of reality-based feedback would be productively employed for teachers and for the superintendent as well.
But it requires, at every level,
(1) the courage of the supervisor to confront with the data,
(2) the self-discipline not to do the planning for the recipient, and
(3) the resolve to retain such information for accountability over time.
School boards should not be afraid to engage in such evaluation and professional development discussions with their superintendents. It is your responsibility, and no one else is in a position to offer it.