Strong leadership is even more important in Edison partnership schools, where the principal not only must create a new school from scratch, but also must do so according to a complex set of standards and expectations. That's why Edison places so much emphasis on the importance of identifying and selecting school leaders, and once employed, their continued development and professional growth. At the heart of this process is Edison's annual principal appraisal review process. The Edison project believes that principals' performance is directly related to school performance. It is unfair and inappropriate, both to the principal and the school, to separate the two.
Good schools have good school leaders.
Improving schools show improvement because principals, as school leaders, value improvement and set goals with their school communities to achieve gains. In connecting principal and school performance as a basis for principal evaluation, it is critically important that principals are fairly held accountable for school results. Principals do not reach individual students over a period of time, nor do they directly manage the technology program, interact on a routine basis with all parents, maintain the accounting system, or directly supervise student behavior in the halls and classrooms. They depend upon others for vital school functions and services. In Edison's system of accountability, principals are expected to provide leadership to their schools that will be reflected in school results.