EVALUATING PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS:

The scheme briefly delineated here is an attempt to solve three important personnel problems in school district administration. How does one (1) evaluate administrators in a decentralized system: (2) clarify and reconcile personal and organizational goals to achieve accountability; and (3) provide detailed feedback on the consequences of administrative behavior in order to encourage change in ineffective behavior. The scheme depends on careful delineation of system goals, and on the annual development of written statements of personal goals by administrators. These are guided by agreement on major functions and by system goals. The statements must provide criteria for measuring achievement. They are discussed in planning sessions and refined and revised until acceptable both to the administrator concerned and the school district representative. The initial implementation revealed some practical difficulties, but more importantly suggested that theories that define organizations as goal-oriented systems are incomplete. Exchange cr cooperation-based theories seem to be essential adjuncts. The scheme seems to have some utility. At the very least, it may help administrators drowning in a sea of trivia to identify some high priority activities and allocate their time and effort more rationally than at present. (Author