The role and duties of a school social worker can differ greatly by state. The National School Social Work Practice Model and the National Association of Social Workers' school social work standards describe practice approaches and behaviors endorsed by the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA). The National Evaluation Framework for…

Performance conversations are a critical and necessary part of performance management. Feedback is most effective when it is constructive and when it involves a dialogue rather than a monologue, but people often struggle with this skill. This activity includes an experiential exercise that applies a five-part process for performance feedback,…

Paraprofessionals are increasingly hired in US schools to support the learning and behavior needs of students with or at risk for disabilities; despite receiving very limited professional development supports to enhance their skills in classrooms. The research base is lacking on effective paraprofessional professional development and intervention…

The NSF-funded Envisioning and Enacting an Inclusive and Diverse STEM Professoriate (EEIDSP; NSF# 2041007) Framing the Dialogue for Systemic Equity Reform in STEM Faculty Careers report advances three big ideas we believe are essential for a national dialogue on systemic reform for equity in STEM faculty careers: 1) Tracing, Addressing, and…

Although the annual performance review has received much criticism from practitioners and researchers alike, organizations continue to use coaching and/or reviews to maximize employee effectiveness and minimize liabilities. A semester class is a great context to practice skills relating to tracking and reviewing performance. This article describes…

How do students believe employers use social media in vetting job candidates? In this instructional experiment, students evaluated three hypothetical job candidates who had divergent social media presences. Questionable content, even if through an indirect link, was thought to reflect on a candidate's character and was extrapolated to future work…

Hiring decisions offer an immense opportunity for school leaders to influence the trajectory of their organizations in the immediate and long-term. However, very few school administrators have appropriate training, if any at all, in how to select the best candidates. Effective hiring for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers…

In November 2011, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) created the Personnel Assessment Task Force comprising national and state leaders with knowledge of effective personnel evaluation systems. Task force participants included school psychologist supervisors, university professors, NASP leadership, and staff. The primary…

Evaluation time can be like putting together a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is all sky--what, exactly, is the point? When all is said and done, one ends up with a big blue blob--nothing to show for all the effort. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Performance reviews can and should be an effective means of communication for both parties…

A tenured respected principal learns that supervisory relationships with staff are only one side of the leadership coin. The other side turns up when a new assistant superintendent is assigned as his supervisor. Problems are imminent when the supervisor seems ready to usurp the principal's traditional decision-making authority. The principal, as…

Whether an employee is a top performer or at risk of dismissal, clear and consistent feedback plays a key role in his or her professional development. Informal and formal feedback are crucial throughout an employee's tenure. Through the use of formal performance evaluation forms and regular performance discussion meetings, employees and managers…

Performance appraisal systems are often considered primarily in their role as criterion measures for validation studies. Even when they are considered in other organizational roles, there has traditionally been a strong focus on improving the accuracy of the appraisals. The present article argues that the proper focus of performance appraisal is…

Evaluation is an important tool to develop and retain skilled employees. It should be used to recognize employees that are performing well, to identify areas for growth and to provide employees with clear, explicit feedback about their performance. An agreed upon appraisal system lets employees know what is expected, what is recognized and…

When the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted in many states, it was only one piece of the pie called Race to the Top (RttT). As states competed and clamored to win the Race to the Top dollars, they knew it came with strings attached. The biggest piece of string is called APPR, or Annual Professional Performance Review--and it is more…

Directors too often rely primarily on their hunches to guide them in employee selection. But what if their hunches are only 30 percent correct? Potentially, one bad hire could be responsible for a noticeable decrease in enrollment and, as a result, the school's net revenue. In this article, the author discusses the Competency-Based Behavioral…