A new study commissioned by New Leaders for New Schools shows evidence that first-year principals are becoming less likely to stay in their schools after one or two years. The report cites a few specific factors that are in support of the idea that quickly replacing poorly performing principals can have a negative impact on a school community. The report is titled “First-year principals in Urban School Districts: How Actions and Working Conditions Relate to Outcomes" and specifically looks at the turnover rates for principals in urban school systems including Baltimore, Washington D.C, Chicago, Oakland, Memphis, and New York City.
Some of the facts that the Baltimore Sun notes in their article are:
(1)
New principals placed in schools that aren’t
making AYP are more likely to leave
(2)
New principals are more likely to leave when
test scores decline in their first year
(3)
The vast majority of schools that lost its
principal after one year noted declining achievement in subsequent years with a
new principal
This report seems to conclude the obvious—new principals in failing schools aren’t likely to stay in their schools. This could be for a variety of reasons. The school could be facing closure, the administration could be zero-based, or the principal just might not be able to deal with the demands of a school in need of a radical overhaul. However, this report shows that a constant turnover of principals is not a good option for a failing school. It often takes more than one year to turn a school around and schools need consistent leadership. Principals who are not doing well in their first year may still be the best option for a school if given the supports they need to improve for a second year.
Read the Baltimore Sun article here.
Read the full study here.
1 comment:
I can't say that I am surprised at the results of the study. Teaching at a challenging school is very difficult. I can only imagine how taxing it can be to be a principal at one. Turning around a school or even taking one over in an attempt to facilitate positive change should be seen as a journey. It doesn't take one year to create a successful school that has been failing for multiple years. It is either the principals, parents, teachers, politicians, school board members, or students that do not believe this fact. One can only imagine the pressure placed on a principal at a school that needs massive improvements. I would predict that most principals leave because of this pressure and the lack of support given from the people around them. Improving a school is a journey, not a race.
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