School Evaluation: A Lever for Meaningful Change

The principal who genuinely wants to change things in his school has a potentially powerful tool in the North Central Association plan for school evaluation. A major roadblock to reform has been conservatism both in the profession and among the public. The emerging role of the principal saddles him with the responsibility for bringing about change in institutions that do not want to change. Some of the concepts involved in an understanding of change are: individualization, decision-making, strategy and staging, long-range planning, conflict, opinion leaders, pressure points, values, costs, communication, consultants, self-motivation, emotions, and the leader's motives. The creative use of the North Central Association accreditation and evaluation process can allow the principal to utilize the pressures of the outside accrediting agency and the visiting team, along with the school staff and administration, in pointing out needed change within the educational program. The following kinds of action are helpful in enabling the principal to use school evaluation as a base for change: (1) make the conscious decision to use this method to initiate change; (2) generate as much support as possible from those above you; (3) communicate your intentions to the staff; (4) pay especial attention to the makeup of the visiting team; (5) plan for student participation; (6) set the tone for the staff by dealing objectively with the final report of the visiting team; (7) set a standard of openness in order to encourage change; and (8) be sure to act on the report rather than filing it away. (KM)