Reflections on School Board Evaluation Practices to Support Meaningful Feedback for Superintendent Growth and Improvement

Abstract

Evaluating the superintendent is the paramount duty of the school board. Current evaluation practices are inconsistent and meaningless for providing effective feedback. The researcher was interested in understanding this issue from the school board’s perspective. Research questions addressed were: (1) What current evaluation practices exist? (2) What further training and support do school board members need? and (3) How does a school board member’s relationship with the superintendent affect their perception of the superintendent evaluation? In this qualitative study, findings confirm inadequate and inconsistent evaluation practices and a desire for ongoing support in evaluation training.