The job of school principal is such an important one and has historically been a coveted position. But new reports show that over half of all school principals leave their jobs within three years. That raises the tough question of why this is happening.
Many people wonder if it really matters that principals are leaving their jobs. The fact is that principals and teachers have a strong impact on student achievement. New research shows that students simply learn better when they have a stable environment in which to learn. Keeping principal turnover low year in and year out does actually make a difference in how well students learn.
Public school principals and administrators set the tone for how a school develops. They outline the programs each year that will best help students to learn. And these kids are our future. If we can give them stable environments in which to thrive, then we give ourselves the gift of a more prosperous tomorrow. This makes it more important than ever to understand why principals and teachers leave their jobs.
Associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Houston, Bradley Davis, has some enlightening ideas about why principals are leaving their jobs. He comments:
“It’s not enough to understand the frequency of the turnover; it needs to be prevented. Principals aren’t just leaving,” he said. “We have folks retiring. We have folks leaving the public school system altogether. We have folks going back to other campus-level positions, some folks transfer to a different district, some folks transfer within the district, and some folks are promoted to higher levels.”
The Hidden Costs of Principal Turnover
Aside from the obvious impact on student achievement, high principal turnover also can have a wide range of repercussions that can hobble schools and prevent them from reaching their goals. These include:
- Teacher Retention and Staff Morale: When leadership leaves a school unexpectedly, it can shake a school faculty to its core. Principals play a crucial role in teacher retention, so any sudden departures can lead to uncertainty, lower morale and an increase in teachers leaving for other positions. When effective principals leave their schools, the loss of their experience also disrupts professional development and long-term initiatives. This means staff can feel as if they’re starting over from scratch or left spinning their wheels.
- School Culture and Policy Continuity: Principals are responsible for setting the tone within their school communities. Abrupt changes in leadership can create instability in terms of school governance policies, instructional methods and other initiatives. The confusion that results can lead to families and community members losing confidence in the school and harming its reputation.
Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction was another big factor in principal retention. In recent surveys, a number of principals said that they simply did not enjoy their work anymore. We all need to feel good about getting up and going to work each day. It can be stressful to work at a job where you don’t really feel you’re making a difference.
Not Enough Money
The third leading reason for principal attrition is salary. So many of those interviewed said that, with their level of education, they felt they should be earning a lot more money. Though teaching can be a rewarding job, at the end of the day, we all have rent and bills to pay. Too many teachers and principals have disparaging things to say about their paychecks. Many of us probably would change professions if we could find something rewarding that paid 30% more. Those are some hard facts of life that must be considered.
Practical Strategies to Reduce Principal Turnover
As serious as the problem of principal turnover is, there are some steps schools can take to help lessen the burden these administrators carry. For example, a strong mentorship program can help new principals ease into their positions and gain crucial support from experienced school leaders such as learning time management skills. When principals feel they have the backing of their leadership and gain the knowledge they need to solve problems, they are more likely to stick it out through difficult times.
Establishing a clear-cut principal pipeline is another strategy used by schools to reduce turnover. This means providing assistant principals and other administrators with support and guidance to move into principal positions as they become available. By promoting from within, schools can maintain more continuity and reduce the friction caused by someone coming into the position from outside.
Many schools have found success in preventing principal turnover by working to reduce the administrative burden principals face. This could take the form of the district providing support for paperwork, compliance and other facets of the job that are not student- or faculty-facing. A shared leadership model in which multiple administrators share decision-making responsibilities as a committee also may help principals feel more comfortable in their positions and less stressed.
There are many ways that we could improve our educational systems and create a better learning environment for our students, teachers and principals. Bradley Davis has one final word for us: “We can prevent turnover in a number of ways…But at the end of the day, turnover is inevitable. Folks leave jobs in every profession; so I think that the larger body of research effort and funding needs to make a shift toward the other end of the research pipeline.”
