Introduction
A question which seems both easy and perplexing to answer is:
What makes an effective, or good, school? If we want more, indeed
all, schools to become effective then we need to know what we
mean by this term, how we can determine the extent to which
each school is effective, and thus identify the areas requiring
attention. A school may be effective in some areas of its operation
and life, but less successful in others. How can we determine
these, and how may we then plan and provide for an improved
performance?
The inspectorate is often seen as the key agency for determining
school quality, but, in fact, each school should be able to
evaluate its own performance and initiate plans for improvement
without waiting for external agencies to provide advice. The
aim of this module is to explain and demonstrate how this might
be done.
Individual study time: 13 hours
Objectives
After working through this module on you should be able to:
• explain the concept and main characteristics of an effective
school
• describe the reasons for evaluation and its
place in good management practice
• apply systematically
a range of evaluation techniques
• plan a programme
of evaluation aimed at improving practices and performance
• demonstrate how to analyse and use evaluation findings
to inform school decision-making processes
• identify
a balanced set of performance indicators and explain both their
use and their limitations.
Units
This module is divided into five units.
Unit
1: Indicators and characteristics of school effectiveness
3 hours
In this unit you will learn about a range of concepts relating
to school effectiveness, and some of the characteristics by
which you and your staff may recognise the degree of effectiveness
of your school.
Unit
2: The rationale for evaluation
2 hours
Here you will derive a rationale for evaluating school effectiveness
as part of a process of accountability to the community and
government.
Unit 3:
Evaluation techniques
4 hours
Here you will learn some of the evaluation techniques which
you need to use with your staff to monitor and analyse the performance
of different aspects of school life, and which may also be used
by external agents, such as inspectors.
Unit
4: Planning a programme of evaluation
2 hours
In this unit you will learn how self-evaluation may be developed
as a normal part of the planning and management processes organised
by you and your staff.
Unit
5: Using evaluation findings
2 hours
The results of an evaluation have to be used to develop aspects
of school work. In this final unit you will determine the conditions
and requirements under which the results of the evaluation exercise
undertaken by you and your staff may be used for the further
development of your school.
Contributors
This module was written by a team in Nigeria:
Professor Etim N E Udoh Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello
(Team Leader) University, Zaria
Mrs C I Bako Assistant Director, National Teachers' Institute
(NTI), Kaduna
Dr M O Akintayo Consultant, NTI, Kaduna
Mrs M B Yusuf Head of Department of Student Affairs, NTI,
Kaduna
Mrs B N Oraeki Head of Department of Professional Operations,
NTI, Kaduna
Mrs E N Ekpunobi Principal Education Officer, NTI, Kaduna
Mrs P N Odiachi Head, NTI Primary School, Kaduna
Mr S O Agun Principal, King's College, Lagos |
