Dual Focus: an innovative tool for the professional development of head teachers

Abstract

This article addresses the question of formative evaluation of head teachers (HTs) or principals. While from a summative point of view there are already tools aimed at evaluating HTs, formative approaches are relatively rare, even in an international context. On
the other hand, the possibility of reflecting on one’s own work in a constructive way with the scope of improvement is important, both in terms of professional lifelong learning and as regards school improvement, in which context the action of head teachers has a proven effect.
After an introductory section devoted to leadership in the organisational and school context and the subject of evaluation, methodological aspects are dealt with, followed by a description of the structuring and development of the tool. The data collected are then analysed and the use of the Dual Focus approach is defined, based on an underlying vision in which the results are used for non-invasive coaching. The Dual Focus system was developed with the participation of HTs from Italian-speaking Switzerland, Lazio and Lombardy, as well as teachers from Montiglio Italian school in Santiago (Chile), as part of collaboration between the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, the Università Cattolica in Milan and the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago(Chile). Although the Covid-19 pandemic made it difficult to carry out the study, the promising results obtained so far have encouraged us to continue using and developing this methodology.