Evaluation and Human Resources

1. Evaluation and Human Resources • Focus: discuss how evaluation of schools is conducted and where the emphasis should be placed in these evaluations. • Thesis: that evaluation strategies must not only focus on assessment of the different processes • Essential: pay attention to the conditions and potential for development of the human resources within each school

2. Accountability • Enhance accountability with control • External experts that evaluate and judge • Quality assurance emphasis • Great Britain with a long history of quality assurance • Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED)

3. OFSTED • Sophisticated evaluation framework • Evaluation of processes and the results they deliver • Schools failed • Criticism of OFSTED • Impact • Research process

4. School development and change • Top-down approach • Change is complex • Shift in emphasis: • blueprints to follow • critical reflections • self-evaluation • Professional internal control

5. Development models • IDP - Institutional Development Plan • assist schools • work on improvement projects • Till the soil • IQEA - Improving the Quality of Education for All • learning culture • internal conditions • Readiness for change

6. Implications • Focus on processes and their outcomes? • Focus on skills and knowledge? • Investors in People Standard • Focus: • commitment • planning • action • evaluation • Assessment indicators

7. Commitment • Is the senior management (school board, principals) of the school committed to developing their teachers? • Are teachers aware of the goals of the school? • Is there a document that states the goals of the school? • Is there a document that describes the development needs and specifies how they will be met? • Has senior management considered what teachers and support staff will contribute to the success of the school and communicated that to them effectively? • Has senior management communicated to teachers and support staff a vision of where the school is going and the contribution they will make to its success?

8. Planning • Does the written plan identify the resources that will be used to meet training and development needs? • Are training and development needs regularly reviewed against the major goals of the school? • Does a process exist for regular reviewing of the training and development needs of all staff? • Is responsibility for developing people clearly identified throughout the organisation, starting from the top? • Are managers competent to carry out their responsibilities for developing people? • Are targets and standards set for development actions? • When appropriate, are training targets linked to achieving external standards encouraged by the government?

9. Action • Are all new employees effectively introduced to the school and given the training and development they need to do their job? • Are the skills of existing employees developed in line with the stated objectives? • Are all employees made aware of the development opportunities open to them? • Are all employees encouraged to help identify and meet their job related development needs? • Does effective action take place to achieve the training and development objectives of individuals and the school? • Are school managers actively involved in supporting employees to meet their training and development needs?

10. Evaluation • Does the school evaluate how its development of people is contributing to stated goals and targets? • Does the school evaluate whether its development actions have achieved their objectives? • Are the outcomes of training and development evaluated at individual, team, and organisational levels? • Does top management understand the broad costs and benefits of developing people? • Is the continuing commitment of top management to developing people communicated to all employees?

11. People´s Investors • Simple to use and fits schools • Another business fad • Strategic staff development is important • Evaluation of processes vs. skills and knowledge? • In-service left to the individual!

12. Emphasis • Self-evaluation schemes • Mixed experiences • The best quality assurance approach?