Introduction
School improvement plans involve goals and activities designed to improve students’ performance. The plan consists of steps on how the set goal and objectives will be achieved and the inputs of all stakeholders. A society is made up of a population with varied competence, nationalities and cultural heritage. Due to this diversity, society is likely to have varied impacts on education. The impacts may be influenced by different economic levels and environments. In the context of school improvement, society plays a fundamental role as it is one of the key stakeholders. For success to be realized, the school community needs to adopt effective and sustainable ideas which will eventually lead to achievement of the set goals. The improvement process requires the school to collect data and analyze it in order to determine the priorities and make decisions of the goal they want to achieve. Schools should constantly measure their progress towards achievement of the set goals. Schools’ improvement is associated with modernization and program improvement. Flourishing schools are institutions where all the stakeholders contribute to the realization of their goals.
An education system, being an institution that constitutes strategies, should be evaluated according to the practices it promotes and those that it attempts to restrain. The essay seeks to explore the contributions of evaluation as a school improvement strategy (Ramsay, 1990, par. 2). Evaluation is an effective tool used by educational administrators and policymakers in analyzing and improving the quality of education. Assessment is important in order to construct a tool that has the ability to analyze incentives and principles found in an education system. So that to improve the education system; educational administrators ought to gather and analyze data to support their decisions in making policies. On the other hand, the school administration should constantly endeavour to meet social needs and expectations. Therefore, the evaluation of an education system is directed towards adjusting the system to conform to the social norms and expectations as well as providing quality and effective education. Evaluation approaches are two:
Efficiency-Based Approach
It considers efficiency in respect of expenditure and performance. The society is concerned on how the school resources are spent. Thus, both indirect and direct factors that are responsible for the competence of an education system are evaluated. This includes the school management, the influence of the media on the education system and the cost incurred while training the teachers.
Pedagogical Approach
This perspective focuses directly on the enhancement of the value of education. Evaluation of an education system should qualitatively contribute to improving education. Here, the main focus is on the roles of the various stakeholders in determining the quality of education. This includes the educational administration, the management, the teachers, the Pupils, the society and the curriculum planners. In this approach, the main divisive issue is the different opinions brought in by the stakeholders to determine the quality of education.
Both of these approaches are compatible and hence should be applied during evaluation.
Educational foundation
In determining the school improvement ideas, a school needs to come up with a school improvement plan. This is to help in the identification of areas which need to be improved. The plan also helps in setting priorities right. In a school improvement plan, evaluation examines all aspects of school management which cuts across the whole school community. It not only looks into the management of the school as a central part, but also explores how daily events and management of the school affects the lives of the students. Many schools consider evaluation to be an aid in decision making and a regular constituent in the management of the school. The school fraternity uses evaluation to measure the level to which its educational goals have become a reality. Evaluation helps in accounting for the resources allocated to the management department of the schools. Moreover, students’ performance is closely monitored by evaluating the school curriculum which is designed to help them achieve the specified behavioural outcomes. A school is able to measure to what extent the school objectives have been met and the effects on the students performance. Apart from evaluation of students’ performance, teachers are also assessed to find out how well they deliver information to the students. An educational evaluation seeks to respond to the student and other stakeholder needs which enhance achievement of the improvement plan (Ramsay, 1990, par. 6).
The importance of evaluation lies in its ability to aid in elaboration of issues facing the school. It helps the teachers and other members of the administration to make informed decisions. Decision making process is usually informal rather than formal. However, this process can also be supplemented by the use of systemic procedures. Evaluation does not mark the end in itself rather it is a continuous process linked to other school procedures. The processes include decision making, school vision, curriculum reforms, financial management and policy formation (Ramsay, 1990, p.34).
Role and impact on students
Evaluation as part of the school improvement plan encompasses students’ self –evaluation. This involves judging the students’ work, based on prove and a well set criteria set by the school. It improves self efficacy and increases internal motivation, and also encourages students to take on difficult tasks. This way, the teachers are able to identify the students’ weaknesses and thus devise ways to help them. Weak students receive special attention from their teachers. Regulation of the curriculum ensures that the students receive quality education which will enable them to achieve their career objectives and also fit in the society (Rolheiser & Ross, n.d par. 3). Peer evaluation prop up critical thinking in students. They are able to build up social, communication and leadership skills, as well as negotiation, discretion and self-justification abilities. Students also become more confident when relating amongst themselves, they are able to open up to their peers who help them overcome peer crisis. The benefits of peer evaluation have been well acknowledged in writing and assessing their own essays. It is here that they learn how to evaluate themselves and others, becoming more critical and self conscious. This also reduces writing anxiety, improves listening skills and increase fluency. Students’ evaluation strengthens the bond between the tutors and the students, improving their general academic performance. Overall, school evaluation enhances good management systems, which in turn promotes a smooth learning process for the students. The learning environment is also made conducive and students are proud of their school and thus work hard to reciprocate the management team with excellent results.
Cost
In the implementation of evaluation as a school improvement idea, the school incurs expenses. Program evaluation requires stakeholders to hold meetings in order to determine the way forward. During the meetings funds are needed for the purchase of stationeries, food and refreshments for all the attending members. The school may decide to hire professionals to teach the stakeholders on how to implement the ideas in order to realize the intended level of improvement. Further expenses may be incurred while catering for the accommodation requirements. Evaluating students may involve examinations papers and stencils. Thorough evaluation requires continuous assessment of students, this helps in close monitoring of students performance and this may increase the cost further. Self evaluation in students may need prior training where facilitators are required. In order to assess the effectiveness of peer evaluation, a seminar presentation for the students is fundamental. Teachers also play a key role in implementation evaluation as a school improvement strategy. Appraisal for the teachers is paramount to help in determining the progress of the improvement plan. Independent parties may be hired to facilitate this. Agreements which need legal approval may be made between the stakeholders. The school may need to hire a lawyer to oversee the signing and honouring of the agreements. Teachers and students may incur personal costs in trying to achieve the set objectives of the school improvement plans. Apart from the sole responsibility of the school, other parties such as parents, teachers and students may go step a further. At this point they incur personal cost. Evaluation process may require a total reform of the curriculum, this is an expensive process. Evaluation of the program may require tools like questionnaires, printing an administration of the tool adds to the evaluation costs. The school community requires incentives for motivation. All the above may make the improvement idea expensive both to the entire school community. Financial constraints may comprise the quality of education offered. Implementing committee is required to cut down any unnecessary cost in order to avoid financial constraints to the school (Nevo, 1995, p.3).
Conclusion
A properly employed evaluation process acts as a mechanism by which the school community measures its achievements. It serves numerous purposes such as improvement of accountability, policy formation, decision making, management and school development plans. The process also seeks to improve the efficiency in an education system, as well as providing relevant and up-to-date information. Evaluation also aims at improving the level of competence among students and schools, while linking the evaluation mechanisms with student capabilities in a visible way. The idea of evaluation as a school improvement plan is all inclusive. It involves teachers, the administration, parents, students, educational planners, and the society at large. Contributions from all parties lead to performance improvement on the whole. The underlying school efforts in using evaluation as an improvement idea are the assessment of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Proper policies should be implemented to address the financial needs. The school’s progress towards realizing its objectives should also be constantly assessed. Educational administrators ought to gather and analyze data to support their decisions while making policies. Education planners on the other hand should tackle the response and processing of updated knowledge in order to come up with appropriate decisions in the modern world. They should constantly endeavour to meet social needs and expectations as well as improve academic performance in shaping an all round citizen.
Reference
Nevo, D. (1995). School-based Evaluation: A Dialogue for School Improvement. Web.
Ramsay, W., & Clark, E. (1990) New ideas for effective school improvement. Web.
Rolheiser. C., & Ross, J. A. (n.d). Student self-evaluation: what research says? Web.