Browsing by Subject "Principal turnover"

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Moving on up : a multi-case study of the perceptions of individuals involved in school district principal succession planning programs serving high-needs elementary schools
(2022-05-02) King, Terrell Don, 1978-; Olivárez, Rubén; Cantu, Norma; Pringle, Pat; Reyes, Pedro
In school districts with an excessive rate of principal turnover annually, with the highest turnover rates occur in high-needs schools. Leaders of school districts experiencing high principal turnover rates recognized that on-site professional development of future school principals requires succession planning programs administered internally by the school district. The need for improved principal leadership readiness and assignments to fill potential position vacancies led to the purpose of this multiple case study. The three research questions were the following: 1. How do successful principals assigned to high-needs elementary schools and who completed a district’s principal succession planning program perceive their leadership preparation and readiness experiences? 2. How do the school district’s leaders describe the impact of a succession planning program for future principals serving high-needs elementary schools? 3. How do the school district’s leaders describe the sustainability of a succession planning program for future principals serving high-needs elementary schools? The multi-case study design involved two districts with principal succession planning programs. Fourteen participants were interviewed for this study. The participants were two superintendents, nine central office leaders, and three successful elementary principals in high-needs schools. The researcher also secured, reviewed, and analyzed available documents and artifacts related to program design and implementation. Consistent with qualitative research methods, data were coded, and themes related to the research questions were identified and described in alignment with the research questions guiding the study. The 10 themes that answered the three research questions follow: (a) perceived readiness for the principalship, (b) personal growth and development, (c) perceived readiness for the principal hiring process, (d) perceived network of support, (e) formalizing the growth of aspiring principals, (f) addressing district needs, (g) providing support for novice principals, (h) program design, (i) having a program director, and (j) program evaluation. The findings from this study could be used to inform practice based on the themes supporting the sustainability of the two succession planning programs. The findings offer a model for developing, selecting, and retaining high-quality principals in high-needs elementary schools.
Organizational stability and school performance
(2012-08) Snodgrass Rangel, Virginia Walker; Holme, Jennifer Jellison; Beretvas, Natasha; Reyes, Pedro; Young, Michelle; Vasquez Heilig, Julian
Despite decades of policy innovation aimed at improving school performance, the number of public schools defined as low performing in the U.S. continues to grow. Yet, most explanations of low performance do not consider the fact that many of the country’s lowest performing schools share high rates of turnover among both staff and students, or organizational instability. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop the theoretical underpinnings of both the concept of organizational stability and its relationship with school contextual factors and performance, and to assess the relationship quantitatively. I hypothesized that teacher turnover, principal turnover, and student mobility partially mediate the impact of a school’s socioeconomic context on its academic performance. In order to test the proposed partial mediation model, I conducted a quantitative analysis using path analysis and data from North Carolina public schools. I constructed several samples, including one that included all schools, and five others that focused in on high instability, high poverty, and urban schools. The results of the analyses depended in large part on the type of school under investigation. Specifically, I found that the relationships between the context variables varied according to the sample being examined. Similarly, the presence of direct and mediating effects between the organizational stability variables was contingent on the kind of school. The results of these analyses support previous findings and contribute a new understanding of the role of instability in helping to explain low school performance. This dissertation engages the ongoing debate about the effects of teacher and principal turnover on school performance, suggesting that both do indeed have a deleterious effect on performance. Finally, I make several methodological contributions to the literature on both turnover and school performance by utilizing path analysis, which allows for the prioritization of effects and the testing of indirect effects.
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.