Browsing by Subject "Principal sustainability"

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Stress and burnout of principals who lead historically underperforming schools
(2022-05-05) Wilson, Angel S.; Reyes, Pedro, 1954-; DeMatthews, David; Cruz, Paul; Adams, Felicia
Principals face high levels of insistent stress in the workplace. Consistent with the research, major principal stressors include the inability to control the day (Grady, 2004; Whan & Thomas, 1996), managing the needs and traumas of others (DeMatthews et al., 2019; Sprang et al., 2011), responding to pressures to perform with high stakes testing accountability (Boyland, 2011; Combs et al., 2009), balancing managerial duties (Catano & Stronge, 2006; Hallinger, 2003), and leading instructionally (Barkman, 2015; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; Mahfouz, 2020). Aside from the teacher, the principal is one of the most influential factors for student academic outcomes and optimal success. Given the current academic state of many historically underperforming schools, there is a high demand for rapid, sustainable change on top of the already strained workload of the principal. Consequently, research trends reveal that principal turnover rates are exponentially high in chronically underperforming campuses (Armenta & Reno, 1997; Pounder & Merrill, 2011). With a growing number of exiting principals, specifically in turnaround schools, there is a dire need to retain and support principals. Principal effectiveness significantly impacts student achievement; therefore, it is critical for the field to understand best practices to sustain the role. This study examined the impact of stress and burnout on principals who lead historically underperforming schools. This study expanded on current research by identifying major stressors that principals face in the workplace and best practices for stress management. This study provided contributions to the literature by discovering the meaningful role that leadership teams play in helping the school principal to manage stress and burnout. This study also uncovered new principal stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings of this study suggest that district leadership, secondary trauma, and state accountability pressures contribute significantly to the stress level of the principal. Findings indicate that principals can effectively mitigate stress and burnout through daily personal commitments. And finally, this study provides recommendations to school districts on how to best support the mental health and wellbeing of principals through strategic planning, redefining the principal supervisor role, and prioritization of social emotional competencies for principal professional development.