Purpose of the study. Given the lack of research on the performance evaluation of the education secretary, the purpose of this study was to answer questions regarding the development of an evaluation system that could be used by all K-12 schools and intermediate educational agencies that employ secretaries;Procedures and design. This study used a combination of action research and case study methodology. It was representative of qualitative research. It was a study of four complex social entities, an area educational agency, and three kindergarten through 12th grade school districts. The study was completed during a six-year time span as part of multiple Iowa State University School Improvement Model projects. Information was obtained through direct, on-site personal contact with the secretaries of each educational organization. The research sought to understand the basic attitudes, beliefs, values, and underlying assumptions of the secretaries of the area educational agency and the three school districts;Multiple techniques were used for collecting data during the study that included: observations, timelogging of critical work activities (CWAs), time analysis feedback sheets, comparison charts of CWAs within job-alike categories, discussions, and personal interviews;The specific qualitative research methodology implemented in this study were: (1) holistic inquiry, (2) using humans as data gathering instruments, (3) purposive sampling, (4) inductive data analysis, (5) development of grounded theory, (6) emergent design, (7) interpretation of outcomes, (8) utilization of intuitive insights, (9) emphasis on social processes, and (10) confirmation interviews. The sample group included 46 educational secretaries, 14 of which worked at the school district building level, 9 that worked in school district central offices, and 23 that worked in the Western Hills AEA;Major findings/conclusions. A performance evaluation system for educational secretaries was developed as a result of the projects conducted with the Iowa State University School Improvement Model (SIM) and as a result of this study. The results of the study suggest that there is a need for an evaluation model for educational secretaries, and that the model should be developed based on criteria that are consistent with the everyday duties and responsibilities of the educational secretary.