Schools are considering team evaluation, or 360-degree feedback, because student achievement is not improving with single evaluators, and employees get too-similar ratings. Iowa State University's School Improvement Model ensures that teachers and principals listen to their customers, not only to their supervisors. In a sidebar, a Massachusetts…

Since 1987, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public Schools' Propel project has been using student portfolios to integrate assessment with learning and is now piloting portfolio assessment for public accountability. Unlike Vermont's system, which asks for students' best work, Pittsburgh's assessment reflects what the community typically expects from its…

In the No Child Left Behind era of high-stakes testing, school administrators are facing their toughest challenge ever. They are being held accountable for the performance of their schools, yet current systems in public education typically fail to provide them with the appropriate tools to manage effectively. Although the classroom is where…

An AASA report says 80 percent of the nation's superintendents are evaluated annually and 12 percent more often than that. However, comprehensive assessments are rare. Most are done in closed session and are rather perfunctory. Reluctant to use student outcomes, boards are trying more detailed approaches. (MLH)