STUDIO ROMANTIC/STOCK.ADOBE.COM

In an era of widespread personnel shortages and increased turnover in leadership positions, the need for school boards to support superintendent leadership growth has never been greater. Retaining quality superintendents is critical to the stability and growth of school districts and paramount to student learning.

The need to overhaul superintendent evaluation as a part of this mission is unmistakable. Superintendents often are unclear about the expectations of the school board and need more direction to guide their work. They sometimes find themselves being evaluated on non-performance-based activities or events. Boards frequently inquire about what and how to conduct the superintendent’s evaluation, sometimes frantically, to meet required deadlines.

The lack of quality and inconsistency in the approach and the method used to evaluate superintendents necessitates a response to do better. Both new and veteran superintendents need guidance to improve and establish a common direction for the community and school district stakeholders. Likewise, one of the most important roles of a school board is to provide insight and assistance in growing the leadership of the superintendent. As a leadership team, the school board and the superintendent set the tone and expectations that drive improvement for student learning.  

A partnership approach

In 2022, conversation began among several Kansas state leaders responsible for leadership development and preparation: Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB), United School Administrators of Kansas (USA), and the Department of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University (KSU). These organizations united to develop a new process to grow executive leadership in Kansas respective of local school district contexts, school district size, and school district categories (i.e., rural, suburban, and urban).

This work also included factors related to length of superintendent tenure and implementation considerations that were important to school boards and superintendents. Background research and work ensued, including a review of national leadership standards and state statutes, to determine the best way to grow superintendent leadership as well as to support and train school boards to engage in a different approach in the evaluation of superintendents.

A plan to guide the journey

A planning team, experienced in administration, began the process by seeking statewide input from superintendent and school board leadership teams to consider criteria important to effectively evaluate the superintendent. The perspectives of board members on gathering data and reporting annual performance review outcomes to the superintendent were important. In spring 2023, 11 superintendents and six board members gathered to discuss these goals. District representation varied in size and category. Superintendent and board members offered perspective from differing years of experience in their positions.

The superintendent and board member groups identified themes and developed consensus on leadership areas most important to evaluating the superintendent. Each group also described an ideal timeline for the process of evaluation. It was clear that superintendents valued meaningful feedback from the board to direct their leadership actions and decisions. Superintendents also agreed they should be an active partner in the process. Board members desired a tool that would be concise and all-encompassing. They valued a focus on continual improvement, alignment to goals, and two-way communication.

Working from this feedback and guiding resources (McRel, Balanced Leadership Superintendent Evaluation, McRel, 9 Questions about Personnel Evaluation Systems), the planning team developed a Conversation-Driven Performance Evaluation tool to guide a more effective process for superintendent evaluation. The tool promotes collaboration, consensus, a clear structure, and alignment to district goals. There is a tool to guide the process for a superintendent in year one and year two of their practice and a second tool to guide the process for year three and beyond. The components are the same; however, the timeline is adjusted to meet required evaluation dates. A focus on developing relationships between the board and superintendent allows an opportunity to strengthen the spotlight on student learning.

A year-long process and collaboration tool

The evaluation tool provides for an ongoing process and a timeline that builds backward from required evaluation deadlines. The model outlines goals to continue conversation-driven dialogue over the course of the year. The process involves the following components:

1. Self-assessment
2. Pre-evaluation conference
3. Evaluation data collection
4. Consolidated performance assessment
5. Evaluator summary ratings
6. Final evaluation conference
7. Goal setting

Conversations between the school board and superintendent regarding leadership and performance should be ongoing and frequent. The Conversation-Driven Performance Evaluation ensures a more formal, summary conversation takes place at least twice a year. These conversations give boards and superintendents an opportunity to reflect on leadership expectations, the board/superintendent relationship, and overall performance.

The school board president works with the other members of the board to provide feedback as one unified voice from the board rather than multiple independent voices with separate opinions. The board arrives at a consensus decision on what it wants to communicate to the superintendent regarding their performance. This unified and clear message conveys important direction and support from the board of education to support the superintendent in their ongoing leadership work. This collaborative approach is helpful to both new and experienced superintendents. In addition, there is a clear benefit to connecting feedback given in the evaluation with agreed-upon goals defined in the strategic plan and goals set by the district.

The elements of the tool include:

1. District leadership metrics that focus on communication, leadership, and allocation of resources.
2. Performance metrics that reflect on the district’s strategic plan or board goals for the superintendent.

The performance goals are jointly developed by the board and superintendent. The board should assist in developing the short-term goals with the superintendent contributing to how the goal will be achieved. Each goal should impact student success and be actualized in specific action plan steps or strategies and stated evidence for demonstrated results.

The tool provides conversation prompts to guide discussion. A concluding summary provided by the board identifies strengths, areas for growth and improvement, and action steps for the superintendent based on the overall conversation and evaluation.

The rating scale is categorized by exceeds expectations, meets expectations, partially meets expectations, and does not demonstrate expectations. Additional resources are provided to districts on an as-needed basis.

A look at year one

Two statewide informational sessions were held in summer 2023 online with an invitation to participate in the pilot year of implementation of the Conversation-Driven Performance Evaluation tool. Twenty-seven districts representing nine out of 10 Kansas state board of education regions decided to embrace the opportunity to implement the process and tool and provide feedback to the KASB/USA/KSU team.

During year one, sessions were held via distance technology in November and January to review progress, answer questions, and allow time for discussion among superintendents and board members regarding their experiences.

During these sessions, pilot participants identified needed areas of support and areas of concern. A final in-person session was held in April to discuss what worked well, specific challenges, and suggestions to improve the process/timeline and each specific area of the tool. During the year, additional on-site support was provided by KASB/USA to pilot districts as requested.

Highlights from the conversation-driven process and tool following the initial year of implementation were positive. Superintendents and board members reported that the tool created conversation with a purpose aimed at discussing relevant work. It helped the board share and collaborate as they achieved consensus on common goals that, in turn, helped the superintendent focus on this feedback. The process respects the knowledge and skills of the superintendent to carry out actions related to the goals with their own leadership style.

Superintendents were empowered to provide evidence of impact through artifacts that shared data and progress towards measurable outcomes. One participant noted that it changed the conversation from “I think and I feel” to “I know.” Feedback was provided on factual items and helped to remove emotion. Other feedback from pilot participants included that the district leadership and performance metrics were easy to address and provided purpose and direction.

Areas for improvement included adjustment to the timeline to better fit the work of the superintendent and school district. Although the superintendent and board work together every month, gaps in the calendar year exist for designated planning times. A strong desire to use technology to improve efficiency, communication, and save time was expressed by pilot districts. A software tool that incorporates a system approach to common administrative responsibilities and tasks is underway to respond to this request.

A third comment regarded the need to be transparent with the community so stakeholders also understand increased communication goals between the board and superintendent may require additional time at board meetings and are not, necessarily, a signal that “something is wrong.” It is important to educate everyone that an evaluation process with the goal of helping the superintendent grow in line with board goals is a win for students, staff, and the community. 

Other beneficial feedback noted that the process takes time. It is also challenging to onboard new board members to the process. Professional development on building consensus and discussion on interpreting a clear understanding of the rating scale are also areas in need of reflection. Continual reinforcement is needed to remind both the board and superintendent that the focus is on the growth conversation, not the ratings. In 2024-25, pilot districts will continue to receive support and additional districts will be invited to join. Additional work to inform mentors serving new superintendents also will be done.

A conversation-driven approach resulting in growth

This process and tool improved communication channels and targeted conversation on growth of the superintendent and has been successful. The Conversation-Driven Performance Evaluation asserts a clear and unified direction of the executive leadership team to accomplish a focus on growth and collaboration over the academic year.

The support of statewide leadership organizations in overhauling superintendent evaluation has made marked progress in providing a resource that helps communicate clear expectations through ongoing collaboration focused on agreed-upon goals. A school board president and superintendent share this experience:

“As a board president, I found this tool to be the most useful of the superintendent evaluation tools we have used during my tenure. It has allowed for the most input by the board and superintendent, while also ensuring the conversation stays relevant to district goals and long-term strategy. The regular cadence for having performance-based conversations has been beneficial as it has made providing healthy feedback a higher priority and avoids recency-bias from having the conversation only once a year. Using the tool has led to conversations about how the board and superintendent can better engage in making progress toward district goals, which has helped promote unity around specific efforts and ultimately the overall vision for the district. The tool promotes objectivity and accountability for both parties as the evaluation criteria is transparent and adaptable to district needs. Finally, the adoption of the process was quite straightforward for the board and superintendent to leverage. I recommend this tool to other districts that are looking for ways to make their superintendent evaluation process more effective.” – Dakota Davis, U.S.D. #341

“Superintendent evaluation is one of the school board’s most important tasks during a school year. This tool helps to change the conversations the board of education has surrounding this topic. Clearly defined goals and artifacts to support the attainment of stated goals help boards of education focus on pre-determined objectives. The timelines outlined through the tool allow for a scheduled task list for the evaluation process that keeps the goals and growth at the forefront of the conversation for the board and superintendent. The tool also aids the board in speaking as a group, not as individuals. This shared collectiveness is often difficult to attain for boards and extremely beneficial for a superintendent to gauge the direction of the board as a whole.” – Dan Wessel, U.S.D. #341