Making Sense of Georgia School Leader Evaluation: Climate, Engagement and the District Office

Assessment of principal effectiveness is a complex process due to the multidimensional nature of their job. Historically, a disproportionate significance has been placed on standardized assessment scores when evaluating school leaders, therefore states are beginning to emphasize other factors such as school climate in order to increase employee retention. This study investigated any correlation between leadership effectiveness, the staff perception of school climate, and employee engagement in a suburban Georgia school district’s 139 schools. An improved understanding of these constructs may assist principals and assistant principals modify their leadership practices to better meet the needs of their teachers. Results suggest a significant correlation between leadership effectiveness, staff perception of school climate and employee engagement across the district with varied levels of agreement at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. Implications for leadership preparation programs and redundancy in school leader evaluation systems are noted. Future research is recommended to improve the reliability and validity of the leader evaluation tool, along with studying similar data trends from other school districts in the country