{"title":"Principals’ attitudes towards on-site school evaluations: contribution to sustained school reform","authors":"Pablo Bezem","doi":"10.1007/s11092-023-09418-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Test-based accountability offers schools limited guidance on informing sustained reforms, whereas on-site school evaluations provide broader and more nuanced evidence. In order to transform inspection feedback into long-term reforms, school leaders’ attitudes towards these evaluations are critical. Relying on organizational change theory, this study examines principals’ beliefs regarding school inspection feedback effectiveness and appropriateness as well as their readiness to implement changes. A large US district that has experimented with such school inspection serves as the case study. The results demonstrate the principals’ strong positive attitudes towards inspection, and these attitudes are associated with sustained change. But, because the accountability framework did not center on inspection, principals were ambivalent about implementing specific changes. This study highlights the tensions involved in incorporating on-site, expert evaluations in test-based accountability systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":46725,"journal":{"name":"Educational Assessment Evaluation and Accountability","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Educational Assessment Evaluation and Accountability","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-023-09418-1","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Test-based accountability offers schools limited guidance on informing sustained reforms, whereas on-site school evaluations provide broader and more nuanced evidence. In order to transform inspection feedback into long-term reforms, school leaders’ attitudes towards these evaluations are critical. Relying on organizational change theory, this study examines principals’ beliefs regarding school inspection feedback effectiveness and appropriateness as well as their readiness to implement changes. A large US district that has experimented with such school inspection serves as the case study. The results demonstrate the principals’ strong positive attitudes towards inspection, and these attitudes are associated with sustained change. But, because the accountability framework did not center on inspection, principals were ambivalent about implementing specific changes. This study highlights the tensions involved in incorporating on-site, expert evaluations in test-based accountability systems.
期刊介绍:
The main objective of this international journal is to advance knowledge and dissemination of research on and about assessment, evaluation and accountability of all kinds and on various levels as well as in all fields of education. The journal provides readers with an understanding of the rich contextual nature of evaluation, assessment and accountability in education. The journal is theory-oriented and methodology-based and seeks to connect research, policy making and practice. The journal publishes outstanding empirical works, peer-reviewed by eminent scholars around the world.Aims and Scope in more detail: The main objective of this international journal is to advance knowledge and dissemination of research on and about evaluation, assessment and accountability: - of all kinds (e.g. person, programme, organisation), - on various levels (state, regional, local), - in all fields of education (primary, secondary, higher education/tertiary, as well as non-school sector) and across all different life phases (e.g. adult education/andragogy/Human Resource Management/professional development).The journal provides readers with an understanding of the rich contextual nature of evaluation, assessment and accountability in education. The journal is theory-oriented and methodology-based and seeks to connect research, policy making and practice. Therefore, the journal explores and discusses: - theories of evaluation, assessment and accountability, - function, role, aims and purpose of evaluation, assessment and accountability, - impact of evaluation, assessment and accountability, - methodology, design and methods of evaluation, assessment and accountability, - principles, standards and quality of evaluation, assessment and accountability, - issues of planning, coordinating, conducting, reporting of evaluation, assessment and accountability.The journal also covers the quality of different instruments or procedures or approaches which are used for evaluation, assessment and accountability.The journal only includes research findings from evaluation, assessment and accountability, if the design or approach of it is meta-reflected in the article.The journal publishes outstanding empirical works, peer-reviewed by eminent scholars around the world.