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Performance Evaluation and Action Plan

Ellen Chang

Master of Education in Leadership, Grand Canyon University

EAD 533: Developing and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Dr. Jim Hattabaugh

February 22, 2023

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Part 1: Analyze the Case

As a department chair, their responsibility is to ensure the success by leading and

managing every team member. They also play as an essential link between teachers and

administrative members by articulating the needs of the department to the administration.

Therefore, this role requires strong communication and interpersonal skills along with ability to

build trust with every stakeholder they work with (Hecht, 1999). When there is an outlier teacher

within the department, the chair is accountable for resolving this issue.

One way for them to approach this method is to create a work environment where

everyone in the department feels safe and supportive to share ideas and helpful to one another in

their professional growth. They are also encouraged to assist them one-on-one to give them

additional resources and guidance as they need. If neither of these methods is effective, the

stakeholders to bring into this matter could be the administration, instructional coach, and the

rest of the department members to identify the underlying cause that results in the outlier teacher

to underperform. This is when the instructional coach or the department chair can review their

performance by either observing their instructional strategies or reviewing their lesson plans

together (Ullman, 2009).

Part 2: Identify the Larger Issues

Additional information I may need as a principal for my decision-making process is by

referring to the outlier teacher’s data. The data are their previous evaluation document of the

classroom observation and the feedback provided by the students, parents, and teachers who

work closely with this teacher (Albiladi, Lasater, & Bengtson, 2020). Interpreting data like these

could help me create a better solution for the outlier teacher to approach this issue.
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If the principal does not take any action to resolve the issue, there may be several

negative effects on the school culture and environment. When an outlier teacher continuously

performs poorly, students in their classroom will struggle to meet their academic goals. Not only

will this effect last a year for those groups of students, but the reputation of this teacher will be

negatively spoken throughout the campus, which leaves an impact on the school’s overall

reputation as well for failing to provide qualifying teachers to students. Additionally, if an outlier

teacher who wishes to receive guidance does not get any support from the administration, their

job satisfaction may decrease along with their sense of feeling valued in their work environment.

There are no positive outcomes of not taking any action to support the outlier teacher.

Part 3: Create an Action Plan

If I were the principal, these steps will be what I plan to provide to assist my department

chair to help the outlier teacher. First, the department chair is highly recommended to identify

the cause of their underperformance. The stakeholders involved in this matter can be coworkers,

students, and possible school therapists if the underlying issue is related to their mental health.

Coworkers and students can contribute by reporting their impressions of them or experiences

they had with the teacher lately that may link to this problem. The department chair can collect

these data and directly speak with the outlier teacher to clarify their weakness and to develop the

way for them to approach this challenge. By taking this first step, it evidently shows that I have

high expectations from every teacher while building trust through conversation that exhibits

support and caring towards one’s personal well-being and professional growth.

As a principal, I will provide ongoing support to my department chair by regularly

meeting with them to discuss the level of progress the teacher is making. When I am unavailable

to directly observe their progress, allowing an instructional coach to take the lead on behalf of
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me can be a great solution. The biggest challenge I expect to face is the amount of time devoted

to this project. It will not only consume my time, but also every stakeholder involved in this

matter.

The last step I will take is creating a method for prevention. I will work closely with

faculty leaders and instructional coaches to invest on what can be implemented or changed to

reduce the rate of outlier teachers in the future. By introducing a prevention method to teachers,

money and time dedicated to support outlier teachers can be allocated to a greater cause. As

employers demonstrate that they are promoting teachers to be highly qualified to instruct

students, this process also contributes to sustaining a positive impact on the school’s learning

environment to all students and working conditions to every staff member.

References
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Albiladi, W., Lasater, K., & Bengtson, E. (2020). Data use among principals and teachers:

Divergent paths or common ground? Journal of School Administration Research and

Development, 5(2), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.32674/jsard.v5i2.2240

Hecht, I. (1999). Roles and Responsibilities of Department Chairs. ACE Onyx Press.

http://college.emory.edu/faculty/documents/articles/power-of-department-chair.pdf

Turning around the lowest-performing schools. (n.d.). The Wallace Foundation: Education

Research, School Leadership, Arts, and More.

https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/the-role-of-districts-

findings

-to-support-effective-educational-policy-making.aspx

Ullman, E. (2009). Supporting struggling teachers. ASCD.

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/supporting-struggling-teachers