The newsletter for chairs of theological schools boards, Vol. 5, No. 2
Making evaluation count
I’ve written before about the data boards review and dashboards that help them see where their institutions stand, but do you ever wonder: What do we do with all of this?
Institutional evaluation and assessment are vital to helping an institution move forward. Boards need not only good data but also a clear understanding of what matters in that data.
Effective evaluation requires asking whether the institution is measuring the right things, understanding what the evidence reveals, and determining what changes are necessary. In a recent episode of the Good Governance podcast (Ep. 113: Measuring what matters: Effective evaluation), Kay Edwards and Mary Reinders of the Outsight Network, both evaluation experts, discuss why evaluation and assessment are essential to effective institutional leadership.
They also discuss why that’s a challenge: Evaluation goes beyond traditional measures such as enrollment and finances.
This episode offers a clear way to understand how institutions can approach evaluation and what questions boards can and should ask. Couple this episode, with magazine articles on our work – here, here, and here – and you’ll have the material to talk about in a board education session.
If you want to discuss how you might do that or have more questions about assessment and evaluation, you can reach our team via email here.
Thanks for all you do for theological education.
Amy Kardash
President, In Trust Center for Theological Schools
