Can accountability go too far?

I am concerned that the focus on accountability in education nationally will result in long-term damage to school systems. I do believe that accountability is important and that evaluations need to be completed for teachers and administrators.

If I believe they are important, then what is the problem? The problem is that evaluations are being touted by many people as a panacea to all the ailments in education and presented as THE key to improving student achievement.

I believe that excellent teachers and great leaders who motivate others to perform at their best will turnaround education. The problem is great teaching and excellent leaders will not be developed though a new evaluation system.

We need to hire the best and motivate and inspire people to increase performance. Evaluation is not a motivating tool; it is a documentation of performance. While evaluations are necessary to remove poor performers, a focus on motivation and less on punitive measures will be more successful in getting the best out of people.

Let’s stop the focus on evaluation and talk more about continuous improvement and frequent feedback. Evaluations can be motivating if focused on continuous feedback and the skills needed to succeed. Unfortunately, some evaluation processes nationally are so cumbersome that it is hard enough to just complete the process once or twice per year. If we focused on continuous feedback on performance and continuous improvement of teachers and leaders, we would begin to implement a very different process.

What would be different? Leaders would begin with an honest look at their own leadership and talk with their teams about how they could improve and how they could receive frequent feedback on their successes and their areas for improvement. Next, they would spread their openness and honesty to leadership teams who would become proficient at giving and receiving continuous feedback, as well.

This process of building a team that is comfortable dealing with conflict and is open to help their colleagues succeed by pointing out how they can improve takes time. Once the culture of a school/ district changes, the need for formal evaluations will decrease. Think about it! If you were in a work environment where you knew no one was talking behind your back and everyone was open and honest in providing critical feedback to help you succeed, what would be gained from a formal evaluation process?

I still believe that evaluations should be done. However, they can be simple and clearly sum up areas for improvement. They do provide documentation for removing poor performers. However, if you create a culture of improvement and support there is no need to spend countless hours on evaluations.

I have been presenting this viewpoint across the country with data to support my findings that the best leaders spend little time on compliance tasks, such as following the letter of the law on evaluation systems. These leaders are building a culture of high performance teams that get sustained results. They put their time into coaching people, and developing school and system improvement plans that motivate and inspire excellence.

Why are we stuck in this world of accountability? Many people often say during my presentations, that this is probably an over-reaction to the lack of accountability and focus of education on results. I agree with this premise, however, we have once again over simplified the problem and are swinging the pendulum the other direction to cracking down on our teachers and administrators who are the very people we need to have enjoying their job and inspiring students to succeed.

We want fast results and innovation, but we over legislate and prescribe to our educators how we want them to behave. It is time to let our leaders lead and remove the barriers from their success. The great leaders have figured it out. They do not overreact to every new rule and regulation. They stay true to their values of inspiring people to achieve. They find creative ways to keep the rule makers happy.

I do believe the legislatures and DOE’s throughout the country want schools to succeed. They have chosen to follow a path they believe will be successful. It would take great courage and risk for them to change. So, since they will not likely change, you have a choice of whether to follow the spirit of the law or the letter.

Just remember, if you get results no one will be questioning you.

 

Lyle Kirtman is president of Future Management Systems of Beverly, MA.  http://futuremsi.com