Every charter school needs a strong leader at the helm to achieve its mission, accelerate student achievement, and lead the organization to long-term sustainability. The governing board plays a critical role in the organization’s health by hiring a qualified and experienced leader, investing in their development, recognizing their success, and compensating them fairly. 

One of the most important ways a board can support and retain a strong leader is by evaluating their performance in a thoughtful, professional, and equitable way. Why, then, do so many boards shy away from effectively evaluating the leader who reports to them?

• First, evaluation can feel negative, punitive, or even threatening to school leaders, who might fear for their job security, lack trust in the board, or wonder whether board members really understand their jobs. This can be exacerbated by asymmetrical power dynamics, differences across lines of identity, and inexperienced boards who mishandle tone and approach.
• Second, many boards aren’t well-equipped to conduct an evaluation; they don’t have members with experience in performance evaluation, executive/school leadership, or human resources. Boards also often lack training on and capacity for leader evaluation.
• Third, it’s hard for boards to accurately assess leader performance without fully understanding the nuances and demands of the complicated job of leading a school. Without enough engagement and/or data on the academic, financial, operational, and cultural health of the school, it can become easy for board members to rely on anecdotes, misunderstand feedback from staff and parents, and miss key aspects of context that impact performance. 

Bellwether’s governance experts have supported a number of charter school boards to develop evaluation processes that make leaders feel supported, give them a chance to grow, and increase their chances of longevity at the school — all of which lead to greater outcomes for student success. 

Rooted in Bellwether’s expertise are three recommendations on how charter boards can conduct a thoughtful evaluation process that aims to reward and retain an exceptional leader while holding them accountable for strong school and student outcomes.

#1: Align on Goals and Expectations

A board and a charter school leader must be on the same page about the leader’s goals each year. Without these goals in place, the school leader can’t be sure how the board will measure their success, and the board will struggle to accurately assess a charter school leader’s progress or provide accountability and oversight throughout the year.

To address this, boards should establish a school leader support and evaluation committee (“evaluation committee”) composed of two board members. This committee should guide the board’s collaboration with the school leader to set goals and align on metrics to track progress. Each summer or early fall, the evaluation committee should work with the leader to update:

• The school leader’s annual goals, tied to the school’s mission and aligned with a multiyear strategic plan.
• The competencies the board expects the leader to demonstrate.
• The school leader’s job description, to help the board understand the leader’s responsibilities, including how they allocate their time and how their role has evolved.
• An organizational chart and high-level job descriptions for leadership staff, to inform the board’s understanding of how well the leader hires, delegates, and supports their direct reports.

#2: Monitor Progress All Year — Not Once a Year

Leader evaluation is an ongoing cycle, not an annual event. This mindset can help boards create an effective evaluation process. 

Throughout the year, the board should monitor progress on goals and offer feedback to the leader, both informally and at the leader’s request. Weekly check-ins between the board chair and the school leader should be centered around the leader’s annual goals. As conversations around goals are woven into the board’s culture, evaluation is more likely to feel supportive to the school leader, rather than intimidating or punitive.

A formal, midyear check-in with the evaluation committee is also essential. This can serve as a progress report, shedding light on what the school leader has achieved so far and what priorities remain for the rest of the year. The leader can report on progress toward their annual goals, sharing information and data to illustrate where they’re on track and what they still need to accomplish. In response, evaluation committee members can give feedback, provide needed support, and adjust goals with the leader mid-cycle as needed. 

The evaluation committee should maintain a running document with notes, commitments, and action items from these check-ins, so the board and school leader have a shared and contemporaneous record of conversations. 

#3: Conduct a Data-Driven Annual Evaluation

Once a year, the board — led by the evaluation committee — should conduct a formal evaluation of the school leader. As with all evaluations, it should include both recognition for strong performance and accomplishments and areas for improvement.

The annual evaluation process should kick off with a self-evaluation in which the leader reflects on their performance. The evaluation committee, meanwhile, should work with the school leader to compile data to help the board accurately understand the leader’s performance.  

Next, the evaluation committee should create a survey to gather input from all board members, the leader’s direct reports, and other key staff and stakeholders on whether the leader achieved their goals, demonstrated the agreed-upon competencies, and modeled the school’s values. Together with this survey, the evaluation committee should provide the data these stakeholders need to offer input on the leader’s performance. The evaluation committee should then compile and synthesize the survey responses and supporting data to identify key themes, patterns, accolades, concerns, and feedback regarding the leader’s performance during the previous school year.

The evaluation committee should then share their draft with the full board in an executive session, along with a recommendation for a school leader’s compensation for the coming year. Once the evaluation is finalized, committee members should meet in person with the school leader to deliver and discuss the evaluation and compensation decision.  

At the end of the annual evaluation process, the cycle begins again: The board and school leader collaborate on a new set of annual goals, an updated school leader job description and competencies, and a plan to offer professional development resources to the leader to address areas for improvement.

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When done well, evaluation can help charter school boards retain good leaders and help leaders improve and excel in their role. Implementing thoughtful and effective evaluation can help charter boards ensure that leaders get the feedback they need and deserve in an organized, professional, and supportive way. Ultimately, this ensures that school leaders foster an environment where every student thrives.

For tools and templates to support excellent governance, learn more about Bellwether’s governance focus area.