P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive Director

September 2010 --
Report from MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti

“Many principals have reported that procedures used to evaluate them are neither helpful for improving their professional performance, nor for guiding their future professional growth.”

Principal Performance Review Process

MESPA, MASSP and MASA have convened a Principal Performance Review Task Force for the purpose of developing a model tool for Minnesota school districts. Your MESPA representatives are: Amy Galatz, principal at King Elementary; Deer River

Sandy Nelson, our 2010 National Distinguished Principal and principal at Rossman Elementary, Detroit Lakes; Joe Rossow, principal at Dowling Urban Environmental Learning School, Minneapolis.

The first meeting of the Principal Performance Review Task Force was held on August 11 with the goal to develop a high quality principal performance review tool, which will employ multiple measures such as: goal setting, 360° feedback, and formative-summative assessments. The goal is to have the tool developed by January 1, 2011.

An extensive research review of the latest literature has been conducted and the following five questions will be discussed, as the process is developed to serve as a framework:

• What is the purpose of the evaluation?
• What standards or criteria should we use?
• Who should evaluate?
• What should we evaluate?
• What evidence should we consider?

Research on administration evaluation will be used, but it is scarce. Research on the evaluations of leadership come mainly from organizational psychology and only a few studies have focused on the evaluation of leaders of educational organizations.

We know the principal is the key to a school’s success, yet little has been done to help principals improve. Many principals have reported that procedures used to evaluate them are neither helpful for improving their professional performance, nor for guiding their future professional growth. Where that is the case, we need new strategies for evaluating principals, strategies that have credibility with principals, make use of valid evidence, and are fair.

National Leaders Conference

A new team of MESPA leaders including President Jon Millerhagen, President-elect Kris Stueve, and NAESP State Representative Steven Geis along with their counterparts from the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals attended the National Leaders Conference in Washington D.C., July 14-16. The purpose of this annual conference is to promote leadership, advocacy, and membership. On July 15 we visited both Minnesota senators and our eight Congressional representatives. The two K-12 principal teams did excellent work in telling the stories of how the School Improvement Grant is directly affecting our schools and what the consequences have been for low performing schools as it relates to the “turn around” model.

MESPA and NAESP oppose any current proposed model of school reform that requires the automatic dismissal of principals as a condition of receiving federal funds.

Multiple indicators must be factored into any and all evaluations of principals’ efforts to turn around a school. In addition to standardized test scores, significant contributing factors in any school reform effort include:

• the relationship principals have established with parents and teachers;
• the improvement they have made in school culture;
• the changes they have inspired in the overall context of the school community;
• the overall differences in students social, emotional, and behavioral growth.

In talking with Congressional staff is appears that the ESEA will not be up for reauthorization until March of 2011. You would have been proud of the work your colleagues did in Washington, D.C.

New Intiatives and Services for MESPA Members

Research Gateway: If you have been to our Web site lately you’ve probably noted the Research Gateway on the home page, an educational search engine made possible through our membership with ERS (Educational Research Services). It takes the miscellaneous junk out of Google and gives you vetted education resources.

Education Learning Network: We are working with another state principals’ associations to develop an Education Learning Network (ELN) to provide resources on current information related to P-12 education topics. Resources on the ELN will include podcasts, webinars, scholarly articles, book reviews, and blogs. We hope to have the ELN operational by January 2011.

Off the Bench:  Look in your e-mail box each quarter for a Hot Off the Bench report prepared by the Educational Research Service. These quarterly highlights are a special benefit to MESPA members due to our partnership with ERS. The July 2010 issue, the first for MESPA members, included recent court actions on technology, drug dogs, hair length, the pledge of allegiance, and more. Each issue will be filed in Legal Resources on the MESPA Members Only Web.

MESPA Data Storytelling Academy:  How do you tell your school's data story?  Do you feel comfortable interpreting your data to craft a story that best strengthens your school?  Presented by MESPA in partnership with TIES, this hybrid format academy (onsite sessions, Webinars, online professional learning community, follow-on exercises using your data at your school, one-to-one professional consultation) will guide principals and school data leaders in strategically working with your school data. In the prophetic words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."

Mentorship Program for New Principals:  Last year we piloted a new principal mentorship program for first and second year MESPA members, using MESPA NDPs and NAESP-trained Peer Assisted Leaders. The feedback from mentees was outstanding, with the vast majority wanting to continue in year two. More information and sign up information will be available at the New Principals’ Seminar on October 14.

Legislative Survey:   All 2010 legislators and our governors’ race will be decided on November 2. In order to better inform your voting decision, we will be facilitating a legislative survey with MASSP; responses posted on our Web site by mid-September. Your staff and parents may also be interested in this information.

37^th MESPA Leadership Conference:  Over 125 MESPA leaders will convene at Breezy Point on September 26 – 27. These elected officers, Board of Directors and committee representatives from our eight statewide committees and 12 divisions will come together to generate actions steps aligned with our five strategic goals. This is the “grassroots” event and action that keeps MESPA a responsive member driven association.

We hope you are off to a great start of the year. Remember -- “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” Thanks for the leadership you provide to our students, staff, and community. May 2010-2011 be the best year yet!