The instruments used to evaluate leaders in most school districts are deeply flawed, writes the author. The National Leadership Evaluation Study collected information from 510 school principals, superintendents, and central-office administrators and examined the leadership evaluation instruments used by more than 700 schools. The results showed that, in almost every case, “these systems tolerate mediocrity, fail to recognize excellence, turn a blind eye to abuses, accept incompetence, and systematically demoralize courageous and committed leaders.” The author identifies ambiguous performance standards, inconsistent rating scales, and unreasonable expectations as the three major problems. He describes an alternative model called the Multidimensional Leadership Assessment, which he believes will provide a more fair, specific, and constructive leadership evaluation system.