Editors' Notes.

Abstract

In higher education, as well as K–12 education, assessment has become a necessity to ensure quality, determine student learning, and share information with stakeholders. Similarly, institutions are focused on leadership development to prepare students to meet the challenges of a complex, global environment. Because leadership draws on multiple disciplines, it is not taught in the same way that chemistry or accounting are. Although some expect that leadership is learned by happenstance or a series of unrelated expectations, educators know leadership development takes a coordinated effort that includes individual and program assessment to improve programs and practices. In this issue, educators from a range of institutions, experiences, and backgrounds share their diverse theoretical backgrounds and experiences to illustrate tangible practices of assessing student leadership in both the college and high school settings. Student learning and program assessment are educational priorities in today's complex, resource-limited environment. Yet, not all leadership educators are assessment experts; conversely, not all assessment specialists have a strong foundation in leadership theories and models. Fortunately, faculty and staff can collaborate not only to create exceptional leadership programs, but they can also provide strong evidence of student growth and program quality. To ensure that happens, educators need to understand the systematic process of assessment, developing a structured plan that includes multiple assessment methods over time and experiences. Without a cohesive plan, staff will not have a roadmap to follow. Because leadership and assessment do not happen in a vacuum, leadership educators need to collaborate with other faculty, staff, and stakeholders. As a part of developing a strong, well-assessed leadership program, all stakeholders need to have consistent language. This is a prime opportunity for faculty and staff to partner. In addition, educators need to decide what will be assessed. Some leadership programs focus on individual student competencies and skill development. Others focus on how students compare in terms of development related to a model or theory. Some assessment models encourage student self-assessment, whereas others rely on educators to evaluate student performance. In recent years, more national instruments have been created to provide an aggregate view of development, as well as a way to benchmark against other institutions or through time. Although quantitative methods are fairly common in leadership assessment, as evidenced by national surveys, qualitative methods provide rich and deep data about the student leadership experiences. Students who are able to reflect, both during and after experiences, can integrate and synthesize learning. Leadership educators have the responsibility to make the experiences and their meaning explicit, because students do not always do that on their own. Institutions, departments, programs, educators, and students have a stake in student leadership development. Ideally, when those areas and people are aligned, students have the best learning environment. Assessment is valued and used to describe student success and improve the programs. This issue provides important information for educators who work closely with students and programs in developing their leadership capacity. In today's educational environment, educators and administrators focus on retention, learning, and preparation for the work world, while paying close attention to fiscal stewardship, accountability, and added value. Student leadership assessment needs to be a priority in education to move the profession forward, provide exceptional developmental programs, and prepare students for a successful future. Darby M. Roberts is the director of Student Life Studies at Texas A&M University and also teaches in the Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education master's program. She focuses on assessment of cocurricular student learning and experiences, program review, and the scholarship of student affairs assessment. She is the coeditor of Learning Is Not a Sprint and coauthor of Student Affairs Assessment: Theory to Practice. From 2013–2015, Darby was cochair of NASPA's Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community. She frequently presents and writes on various student affairs assessment topics. Krista J. Bailey is an associate director in the Offices of the Dean of Student Life at Texas A&M University and also teaches in the Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education master's program. She has worked with many different functional areas within student affairs, including student leadership programs. Krista frequently presents on a variety of topics including student learning.