%0 Journal Article
%T From Tinkering to Going ¡°Rogue¡±: How Principals Use Agency When Enacting New Teacher Evaluation Systems
%A Morgaen L. Donaldson
%A Sarah Woulfin£¿
%J Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
%@ 1935-1062
%D 2018
%R 10.3102/0162373718784205
%X Despite major changes to teacher evaluation since 2009, scant research examines how principals enact these policies. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 44 principals in 13 Connecticut districts, we use structure-agency theory to characterize how principals improvised when implementing the state evaluation model. We find that principals¡¯ use of discretion varied across the system¡¯s components, took different forms, and appeared aimed at varied outcomes. Particular forms of discretion supported the system¡¯s goals, while others likely undermined them. Principals tended to use their discretion to further the system¡¯s development aims as opposed to its accountability goals. Our findings have implications for the enactment of teacher evaluation policy, the roles of district administrators, and principals¡¯ work as instructional leaders in an accountability context
%K educational policy
%K evaluation
%K leadership
%K organization theory/change
%K principals
%K qualitative research
%K supervision
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0162373718784205