Organizing Evaluations for Use as a Management Tool

Evaluation as an educational management tool is a critical and timely issue. Today’s administrators face a dual challenge: to demonstrate how well their school systems are performing and to take greater responsibility in that demonstration.

The research base informing this article can serve as a guide to administrators in two ways. First, it shows clearly that, the more active an administrator’s participation in program evaluation, the more likely it is that the evaluation findings will be put to use. Second, it has led to the development of an organizing framework designed to help administrators take the leadership role necessary if evaluation is to become an effective management tool in educational decision-making.