Principal Selection, Evaluation, and Supervision
   Principal selection, evaluation, and supervision are perhaps the most important responsibilities of Pilot School governing boards. The superintendent has given over power to the governing board in order to allow the school community greater control over selecting the right leader for the school, as one Pilot School staff member explained. When selecting a principal, governing boards are able to develop their own internal process for recruitment, create a job description and hiring committee, screen and interview candidates, and select the finalist candidate. The governing board then forwards one recommended candidate to the superintendent for consideration. If the superintendent does not wish to hire the nominee for the position, she/he may request that the board submit another candidate. The superintendent selects and hires the principal in consultation with the board.
    Once their school’s principal is hired, governing boards are responsible for his or her evaluation. Every board must have an approved, written process for principal performance evaluation, including the criteria for evaluation, and part of the evaluation must be based on the Boston Public Schools “Expectations and Practices for School Leaders.” The board may determine the evaluation process and forms used. Many governing boards have developed surveys and interview processes for staff, students, and families to engage the entire school community in the principal evaluation. Other boards have created subcommittees for evaluation. Principals must be evaluated yearly, although an in-depth evaluation with the entire school community’s input need occur only every two to three years.

   A challenge for some governing boards has been to develop the capacity among board members to effectively evaluate the principal. It is important to have board members be clear about governing board membership, roles, structures, and responsibilities. A survey exists to assist boards in determining their capacity to evaluate the principal (See “Governing Board Survey”). If a Pilot School governing board does not have the capacity, it may choose to ask the respective deputy superintendent to conduct the evaluation. In this case, the board must consult with the deputy superintendent prior to the evaluation about the criteria to be used to evaluate the principal.
   All principal evaluations must be submitted to the superintendent by mid-June of each school year. If the board plans to recommend the principal for nonrenewal, it must inform the superintendent by the end of March. Governing boards may request that the superintendent extend the principal’s annual contract to two or three years.