Why are Principal Turnover Rates High?
Principals are the pillars of our school communities. Teachers, students, families, and community members look to them for support, guidance, and outstanding leadership.
They are sought after for problem-solving, make thousands of decisions every day, and are looked up to by so many people. There is a high turnover rate for principals, and it is a problem that needs to be evaluated. Schools cannot function without a great leader at the helm.
Principals who have left the profession have stated that there is a lack of input from them at the administrative level. Sometimes principals are not given enough decision-making authority; they may be left out of strategic planning and given challenging accountability goals without having any say in the creating these goals. Lack of preparation and professional development may also add to principals’ anxiety.
This, in combination with low salaries, may eventually lead principals to find different careers. Therefore, productive professional development may be a way to address high principal turnover rates.
Professional Development to Address Turnover Rates
The following are ideas of professional development for principals that can effectively reduce the turnover rate from the National Center on Education and Economy.
Principal as the Strategic Thinker
Principals are often tasked with developing strategic plans for their schools, teachers, and students. However, they may not have had much training in doing so. Professional development dedicated to helping them think strategically and then apply those thoughts to their own schools can be very beneficial.
Driving and Sustaining Change
Principals are excellent problem-solvers. Sometimes, though, they may not have enough time in their day to identify ways to change their school for the better. Providing professional development on driving and sustaining change can give principals the opportunity to think about what is working and what is not in their schools. Then, they can identify what needs to change and then, most importantly, determine how to sustain that change in their schools.
Promoting the Learning Organization
Professional development should lead to concrete ways for people to improve. An area that principals are always trying to make better is their learning organization – their schools. A workshop dedicated to promoting the learning organization can help a principal transform their school environment. A school’s environment can make or break a school. Student and teacher success is heavily dependent on the school’s environment. If a school is not conducive to learning, not a welcoming place, learning will not occur. This type of professional development will give principals ideas on how to improve the environment and show appreciation to the staff and students for being part of that positive, inclusive atmosphere.
Teams for Instructional Leadership
There is often never enough time in a principal’s day to get everything accomplished. Having professional development on creating teams for instructional leadership can give principals ideas on how to share some of the duties that often fall on their shoulders alone.
Teachers are powerful leaders and educated individuals. If principals can identify these teacher leaders and lead teams to accomplish goals, the principal will not feel so overwhelmed by all of the work. This can significantly reduce the turnover rate of principals.
Foundations of Effective Learning
Finally, throughout a principal’s training, they may not have been taught all the answers to student problems. Going back to the basics with professional development based on the foundations of effective learning would benefit all educators, even principals. Teachers and parents come to the principal when they have a struggling student. They have tried everything in their repertoire but still don’t succeed with a student.
A principal may feel at a loss when they cannot offer any ideas. Therefore, having professional development on these important learning foundations will allow principals to relearn best practices and techniques that can be shared with teachers and families.
The best way to reduce principal turnover rates is to give them the respect and decision-making capabilities they deserve. Principals have the knowledge and expertise to run their schools. They should be commended by the upper-administration in school districts for their day-to-day work, involved in all strategic plans that affect anyone in their school buildings, be a part of accountability policies, goals, decision-making, and should be compensated fairly.
Principals should be asked for their input at the administrative level. They see what teachers and students are going through every day. If the goal is to lower turnover rates of principals, then upper administration needs to recognize the challenge of being a principal in the 21st century.
