Conducting a developmental evaluation among HIDOE data coaches

Abstract

This research narrated a school principal's story as he tracked the complexities of teacher evaluation. The principal's research problem was centered on addressing past evaluation practices that did not account for the vast contexts of teaching proficiencies, nor promote professional efficacy. The study spanned for two years and amalgamated data from researcher's Doctor of Education (EdD) coursework; an EdD Consultancy Project; teacher interviews; and sixteen years of evolving administrative experiences. The study described the principal's journey toward becoming a research practitioner by employing an Appreciative Inquiry framework that engaged in evaluation from a positive and hopeful place (Patton, 2011). Throughout the research, Michael Quinn Patton's concept of developmental evaluation was incorporated to frame the research methods that made sense of the social dynamics that fostered innovations. The researcher also tracked his pending progress by maintaining a daily journal that described his learning of developmental evaluation practices At the conclusion of the study, the principal shared the impact of his research journal by highlighting potential improvements for teacher evaluation, and corroborating his evolution from a developing principal, to a research practitioner, and then a resolute school leader founded on local knowledge.