Staff evaluation is a high-interest area for all members of the school community. Since there is no definitive research that lights the way to a "perfect" evaluation system, the development of a plan falls upon the local school administrator's shoulders. Guidelines and a checklist may provide some assistance in this endeavor. (Editor/RK)

This article briefly critiques management by objectives (MBO) as a means of specifying administrator tasks and then describes the implementation of MBO in the West Bloomfield School District, Orchard Lake, Michigan. (Author/DS)

The West Bloomfield School District (Michigan) evaluates administrators by utilizing a management by objectives technique, a comprehensive job description based on tasks to be performed, and a self-evaluation guide that serves as a discussion tool during evaluation conferences. (Author/MLF)

Discusses factors to consider in establishing an administrative salary schedule based on performance. (IRT)

Because competency evaluation is such a critical part of educational administration, a clear, unbiased system for evaluating administrators is needed. This article proposes a model with clearly stated competency areas, a list of example indicators, an evidence requirement, and weighted competencies. Includes five figures. (MLH)

Principals and others involved in strategic or operational planning decisions need a data collection process with a systematic internal and external scanning structure. Internal data originate from students, school climate, finance, and human resource variables. External data include demography, government finance and budgetary allocations,…

Any plan to create a communications/governance structure to empower stakeholders must address several questions: rationale, potential advantages and disadvantages, problems to be considered, format, committee structure and responsibilities, and evaluation techniques. Includes 10 references. (MLH)

To be more effective instructional leaders, principals must be granted four conditions: sufficient autonomy, responsibility for operating their buildings, authority commensurate with their responsibility, and central office and board support. This path will pay dividends in school climate, staff morale, student achievement, and community…

Presents a model to help principals with strategic planning. Success hinges on involving stakeholders, scanning for relevant data, identifying critical success factors, developing vision and mission statements, analyzing the site manager's supports and constraints, creating strategic goals and objectives, developing action plans, allocating…

To succeed at strategic planning, principals must involve important stakeholders and be able to identify and monitor crucial information. Identifying critical success factors involves reviewing the existing beliefs statement and the internal scanning data (test scores and climate surveys) and external scanning data (laws and policies, public…

To implement school-based management successfully, the decision makers must reach consensus about degrees and levels of school and school district control of allocating human, financial, curricular, instructional, equipment, and school plant resources. This article sketches three different decision-making scenarios related to hiring teachers and…

Educators considering the adoption of school-based management are advised to reflect carefully before jumping on the shared decision-making bandwagon. To aid this reflection, a checklist with 29 pertinent questions is provided. If school leaders proceed without realistic expectations or knowledge about the organizational changes involved, the…

After principals have involved all stakeholders in developing a school mission and identifying critical success factors, the planning team must analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within and outside the school; establish strategic goals (outcomes) to support the future vision; and develop objectives and target dates. Includes…

Strategic planners concerned with such matters as high-achieving students, high-performing teachers, broad-based community support, and a two-way involvement with the community must analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats existing in the school's internal and external environment. A sample SWOT analysis is included. (MLH)

An effective administrator evaluation system builds in feedback opportunities, two-way communication, opportunities for improvement, enforcement of strengths, and a clear understanding of the system. The system must be valid, reliable, meaningful, useful, and feasible. Procedural answers to the why-what-when-where-what-who questions are discussed…