A MULTILAYER MODEL FOR 360° SCHOOL LEADERSHIP EVALUATION: LONGITUDINAL EVOLUTION OF INSTITUTIONAL COHERENCE Longitudinal Analysis of Institutional Coherence in the Andalusian Education System (2020–2021, 2023– 2024)

Abstract

School leadership evaluation faces a recurring methodological challenge: the fragmentation of three analytical domains that are often examined separately: principals’ professional performance, evaluator consistency, and institutional functioning. While many 360-degree evaluation models incorporate multiple perspectives, they less frequently examine systematically the convergence between evaluators, the longitudinal evolution of leadership performance, and its compatibility with external evidence on school organizational processes.

This study analyzes the structural coherence of the School Leadership Evaluation Model implemented in Andalusia (Spain) over the period 2020– 2021/2023–2024. An evidence-based 360-degree approach is adopted, articulated through a multilayer validation model grounded in mediated inference. The design is longitudinal, observational, and multilayered, and is applied to a fixed cohort of 290 public-school principals followed across four academic years.

Three complementary layers of evidence are examined: (1) evaluative convergence between principals and inspectors through the GAP indicator, defined as the difference between the weighted mean scores assigned by both evaluators on an ordinal coded scale 7–0; (2) the longitudinal evolution of leadership performance, estimated through mobility rates from non-consolidated levels; and (3) The functioning of institutional processes externally evaluated through the actions of the school inspectorate

These layers are not treated as a simple aggregation of indicators, but as a relational system of evidence. Findings show a sustained reduction in evaluator divergence, differentiated trajectories of leadership consolidation depending on competency type, and a pattern of structural compatibility between leadership development and institutional process functioning. Within the mediated-inference approach adopted here, these findings are not interpreted as direct causal relationships, but as empirical evidence compatible with the structural coherence of the evaluation system. The study therefore proposes a methodological framework for the integrated analysis of 360-degree leadership evaluation models in educational contexts, with implications for institutional improvement and evidence-informed decision-making.