Students, Supervisors and Principals as Evaluators: A Western Perspective

Abstract

Evaluations are performed by three parties: students, supervisors and
principals' (who often act supervisors) with varying degrees of accountability,
professionalism and evaluative weight accorc!ed. In the Ethiopian school system the
evaluation of teachers by students was recently, but controversially introduced. The
literature, which aims to provide an international background to evaluation practice
in the Ethiopian school system indicates that supervisory evaluations are the most
accountable and professional implying the differential weight that should . . be
attached. Though students are the principal "consumers" of education, their
evaluative judiciousness is shrouded in some uncertainty. The literature also shows
that although teachers generally welcome evaluations, they often have serious
concerns that they may not be objectively, fairly and reliably evaluated, especially
when the evaluation is clearly summative. The qualities desired of professional and
ethical evaluators and evaluation systems that can ease such teacher fears are
discussed as they relate mainly to primary and secondary school teaching staff.