Abstract
The Japan Evaluation Society (JES) established the “Certified Specialty Evaluators Training Program for School Evaluators” in August 2011. For the last two decades, the Japanese government has been working toward a nation-wide implementation of school evaluation practice. The “School Education Law” revised in June 2007, and its accompanying regulations, included provisions mandating school evaluation. Under the principle that evaluations aim to yield improvement at each school, the Japanese school evaluation system encourages local-based design and operation of evaluation. However, besides establishing the laws and regulations, training the manpower for school evaluation is crucial and in immediate need.
In such a context, JES's training program for certified school evaluators aims at training evaluators who can be responsible for planning and implementing school evaluation whenever he/she is at the school site. The program includes such elements as the mental attitude as an evaluator, understanding of the national policy trends of school evaluation, knowledge of technique and skills for school evaluation. The program places emphasis on practical skills and fortunately has partnered with Tama City Board of Education in Tokyo. In September 2011, the first 12 certified school evaluators were sent out into the world.
By over-viewing the process of establishing the program and looking at its remaining tasks, we will see opportunities for program improvement ; they are (1) re-focusing the main target as the trainees - non teachers could become the main target, (2) cultivating opportunities for school evaluators' mutual study and exchange, and (3) connecting the vast social need for talented school evaluators to the certified school evaluators. Thus, the program should be contributing to the improvement of the quality of school evaluation in our country.
