Fostering an Evaluative Culture by Addressing a Breakdown in the Policy Development Cycle

Abstract

Systematic evaluation contributes to a strong governance function that leads to improvement and accountability in school systems. Evaluation is integral to the policy development cycle. Elected school board trustees in River City school division were challenged in their governance role by a lack of evaluative feedback on policies. A four-step change process was created to guide the development of an evaluation framework to address the gap and foster an evaluative culture within the board. The change process described could be applied by other school divisions to enhance their policy evaluation function. More broadly, the importance of careful planning and the benefits of a participatory approach to evaluation are integral pieces to any change effort.