Quality or Control: High-Needs Principals’ Perceptions of a PSEL-Based Evaluation System

Abstract

This study investigated whether principals in high-needs schools reported different perceptions of a PSEL-based principal evaluation system than did principals in non high-needs schools. We employed a sequential mixed-methods approach in which semi-structured interviews followed an initial survey administration. High-needs and non high-needs principals reported statistically significantly different perceptions of the state’s evaluation system. We find that principals perceive wide variation in the resources allocated to their schools as well as the use of the performance rubric to measure their effectiveness. Additionally, principals identified principal supervisors as a major lever in the perceived fairness and flexibility of the evaluation system.