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Goal: Improve preparation, recruitment, development, evaluation, and rewarding of effective teachers, principals, and administrators.
Objective: Increase the number and equitable distribution of effective principals.
How progress is measured: Number of states reporting that any school districts are evaluating the performance of principals that include student growth as an evaluation criterion
Why is this measure important? Research consistently finds that principals are one of the most important in-school factors in student learning, but existing evaluation systems generally do not meaningfully differentiate principals by effectiveness or provide information to principals and district leadership that can inform decision-making. Establishing fair and rigorous principal evaluation systems is a crucial first step towards building systems that support and develop principals as strong instructional leaders who improve teacher effectiveness and student learning, and that provide district leaders with the information they need to inform personnel and policy decisions that will increase the number and equitable distribution of effective principals.
What do the data tell us at the national level? In 2010, 7 states reported that any school districts are using principal evaluation systems that include student achievement outcomes or student growth data. This is the first year that states reported this information.
What are the limitations of the indicator? Data were last collected in August 2010. Progress following this date is not represented. States will update these data in the next round of data collection for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which will likely occur in early 2011. Additionally, the Dashboard does not currently provide data on the effectiveness of principals; such data will be provided when they become available.
Documentation for the indicator: As a part of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), a one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), states were required to submit data on a number of factors, including the number of school districts within the state that are evaluating the performance of teachers that include student growth as an evaluation criterion. The data were last collected in August 2010. States will report new data for the SFSF annual report, which will occur in early 2011.
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