Superintendent Evaluations: Superintendent and Board President Perspectives

The purpose of this field experience was to examine the formal evaluation process of superintendents from the perspective of superintendents and school board presidents. A survey of 72 public school district superintendents and board presidents in six counties in Southern Illinois was conducted. Those surveyed were asked to respond to questions concerning the evaluation instrument itself, the frequency and purpose of the evaluation, and criteria used to evaluate the superintendent. In addition, a review of current literature associated with superintendent evaluations was presented. Included in the review were articles related to the importance of a good evaluation procedure to both the superintendent and board of education. An analysis of the survey results indicated that most schools have a formal evaluation process which is conducted once per year for the purpose of improving the performance of the superintendent. Results also showed that both superintendents and board presidents have similar opinions regarding the most important criteria used to evaluate the superintendent. The findings and recommendations from this study emphasize the importance of establishing a sound evaluation process to the successful relationship between the superintendent and the board of education