School self-evaluation is an imperative component in continuous school improvement and increasing students academic performance. Self-evaluation allows schools the opportunity to identify needs and weaknesses ideally before they become full-blown problems. While schools are evaluated formally by national and state assessments, self-evaluations help schools to predict how they will do on formal assessments and allow schools to improve when needed, before the formal assessment. Self-evaluation also helps schools make sure their education program is effective and appropriate for the individual students' needs.
The self-evaluation process involves data collection and analysis. Schools collect data for their own evaluation in measuring the school's overall performance, student achievement, adherence to standards, identifying school strength and weaknesses and staff development needs. Data is collected using self-evaluation forms (SEFs), questionnaires, surveys, interviews and observations. Schools generally adopt standards, usually aligned with state or national standards, and assess for adherence. Schools generally identify areas or objectives they want to investigate and address the issue with a self evaluation. The self-evaluation process commonly uses objective and research-based methods or models of evaluation.
School self-evaluation plans are supported by various frameworks; some evaluate overall school performance, while others focus on teachers' effectiveness. A popular framework for teacher evaluation is the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching. Some states have created their own framework. Another model developed by Research for Better Schools (RBS), called Strategic Planning for Educational Reform and Improvement (SPERI, 1998), is designed specifically for educators developing policy. The Center for School or Organizational Development and Leadership (2007) has found that a framework centered on leadership, communication and assessment is predictive of effective plans.
Thomas Hoeer, in his book The Art of School Leadership, wrote "Every school leader has an obligation to create an environment in which parents are welcome." Gaining feedback from the community evaluates the school's performance as perceived by the public. Valuing the public's opinion helps foster support for school programs and is positively associated with student achievement. While it is important that schools align with state and national standards, they must also meet the unique educational needs of the community. Developing effective and accessible communication systems with the public promotes community engagement in school evaluation and also strengthens school-community partnerships.