The development of services takes a cyclic path where iterative changes for optimization are made. Philosophical foundations of curricula and the responsibility of instilling and assessing them lies with school districts and relevant organizations. Curriculum evaluation is an integral component of most programs in different schools. Assessment of a curriculum can be done internally or externally. Outsourcing evaluation helps eliminate bias and has the most realistic representation of the state of the curriculum. Studies have shown that bias should be eliminated from evaluations (EnrĂquez-de-Salamanca, 2018). It has a cost component to it that is required to cover the dependent ones like personnel. More time is needed to pick an independent external consultant to deliver fine-tuned evaluation. They also provide valuable insights on improving the curriculum as well as personnel.
I have seen audits and evaluations done more effectively and impartially before. More often than not, the institutions that hire external parties to do the evaluation benefit more from them than internal evaluations. While internal assessments are necessary for human resources functions, they should complement an evaluation (Wilson, 2018). The value of an evaluation increases when evaluations by external consultants are cross-referenced with appraisals where necessary.
The role of personnel tasked with evaluating a curriculum is very clear regardless of whether internal or external personnel. Internal evaluators better understand the context and environment, while external evaluators provide valuable experience and knowledge (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018).
I think outside consultants are more effective than internal consultants because they are objective. The use of external personnel for evaluation also allows institutions to carry out their day-to-day activities with minimal but necessary interruptions. It enables the evaluators to have a better perspective of an institution or a school district. Proficiency is also crucial in evaluations as evaluators need to understand a curriculum and its key performance indicators, which are the evaluation variables (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018). A school district or organization only hires external consultants for their expertise. I know that vast knowledge and experience in a domain or activity are the key to a successful consultant. I have often thought of consultants as superior personnel in their duties and their knowledge is crucial.
I have been through various evaluations in my life, with those done in school being the most memorable. We took them more seriously when external parties were involved. Students would queue in long lines to avoid strict teachers and trouble. Based on this, external consultants are more likely to identify a problem or gap. They have a significant impact on organizations and the outcome (Shet et al., 2019). I think external consultants for an evaluation are essential and the underlying issues specific to an organization or a school district are integral to the final assessment. I have seen companies familiarize evaluators with their corporate model and strategy before evaluations and curriculum evaluations should have that.
From my observations on evaluations done by external consultants, their engagement has proven to be valuable in the process. An organizationâs resources are expended in the process and thus require optimal resource utilization. Optimal utilization is rewarded with assessments that are accurate, subjective and from figures of authority. External consultants are perceived to have more power than internal evaluators; their expertise and experience will be respected by those being evaluated. An ideal organization or school district requires optimal functionality of schools, teachers and other personnel. That can only be done subjectively and by people who have experience in the process because improvements on curricula require unbiased evaluations that identify problems instead of covering them.
References
EnrĂquez-de-Salamanca, Ă. (2018). Stakeholdersâ manipulation of Environmental Impact Assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 68, 10-18. Web.
Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2018). Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Issues (7th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Shet, S., Patil, S., & Chandawarkar, M. (2019). Competency-based superior performance and organizational effectiveness. International Journal Of Productivity And Performance Management, 68(4), 753-773. Web.
Wilson, J. D. (2018). Appraisal of teachers. In Handbook of Teacher Training in Europe (pp. 68-84). Routledge.