Date of Award

Summer 8-17-2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Secondary Education and Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Pauline Sampson, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Brent Hawkins, Ed.D.

Third Advisor

Janet Tareilo, Ed.D.

Fourth Advisor

Barbara Qualls, Ph.D.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the information, through a modified replicated study, that Texas public school board trustees utilize as part of their evaluation of the district superintendent. This modified replicated study used a survey with ranking and multiple choice. The survey in this study was developed by Dr. Phil Gore for Washington school board members and modified by the researcher for Texas. A convenience sample of 168 school board trustees across the state of Texas was invited to participate in the study

The findings in this study identified the various elements from which schoolboards derive information to provide background for the superintendent evaluation. It also identified areas to improve the current structure of the Texas superintendent evaluation tool. The comparison of the two studies showed similarities in responses. Both studies found that information used for the superintendent evaluation came from personal interactions and observations.. They both ranked staff surveys as not extremely important for the superintendent evaluation. In both studies the largest responding group was from rural school districts. Texas school board members reported sufficient communication from the superintendent. The Washington study found the possibility of misleading information from the superintendent. Fifty percent of the Texas respondents used the TEA process and performance standard for the superintendent evaluation.

Comments

School board members are expected to make important decisions that directly impact students without having been provided the political, financial, educational, or statutory training necessary for such monumental tasks. In Texas, “lay-elected citizens function as a collective to oversee and govern the administration of our schools” (Gore, 2016, p. 1). The responsibility of the board trustee team to work with the superintendent, which ultimately affects the outcomes of the district, is not without its own set of challenges. Boards are as honest to their role as superintendents are to theirs. The problem addressed by this study was the connection between the school board, within their perceived roles and responsibilities and their relationship with the superintendent, which affect the results of the performance evaluation. The researcher explored the elements of information, board members’ evaluation training, and examined the use of the board’s acquired knowledge as part of the superintendent evaluation process.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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