Miles argues that current student achievement data broadly suggests principal performance at HISD does not meet the highest standards, and that the urgency of a principal’s work “requires a high level of responsibility and accountability for results.”
“Our premise is that a high percentage of proficient or distinguished principals should be correlated to significant improvements in student achievement across the District,” Miles wrote in the LEAD guidebook. “While we hope to have more than 80 percent of the principals at the proficient level or higher someday, current student achievement data suggest that the percentage of proficient and distinguished principals is lower.”
The evaluations are taking place against the backdrop of dozens of principal departures that have already occurred since Miles was appointed to his position by the Texas Education Agency on June 1. Some principals were removed by Miles’ administration for their perceived inability to adhere to his strict demands; others left of their own accord, saying their schools had become a hostile workplace.
McDonough said that the timing of the announcement, just two days before the district goes on spring break, could damage employees’ already fragile morale.