Amid a continuing pandemic, it is critical that we celebrate and appreciate school principals. But not just appreciate them; we must double down on doing better for school principals. Without them, we cannot do better for the children in our public schools.
We started the Principal Impact Collaborative at UNT Dallas in 2016 because of the high turnover rates (18-21%) among school leaders, based on a study by the Learning Policy Institute, with stress and burnout as key drivers. Urban school principalship is one of the most complex of all leadership positions. Principals are the chief executives of their campuses and also middle managers in large school districts. They manage instruction, operations, community engagement, fundraising, disciplinary issues and parent concerns, and at any given moment, they may have to step in as nurses, custodians, counselors or chaperones.
Based on what we have learned these past five years through our extensive engagement and collaboration with our school district and community partners, we have developed five recommendations for communities to better serve school leaders.
First, we need to acknowledge the tension between prioritizing principal well-being and campus outcomes. Many principals come to this work because they are intrinsically motivated to be servant leaders and because they are passionate about their students. But oftentimes, this pushes them toward the superhero personification of the role, and they are challenged to do whatever it takes to support their campuses. The pandemic compounded this challenge, and we expect greater turnover in the coming years. A survey led by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in August 2020 found that 45% of principals nationally reported the pandemic was prompting them to leave the role earlier than expected. We shouldn’t have to burn and churn our leaders to get our students through this pandemic.
Second, we need to include principal well-being data in our accountability systems. For example, PIC measures principal sleep habits, stress levels and physical energy, among other inputs to inform our programming. School districts have made significant investments in data-driven management and decision-making. We should integrate principal well-being data to guide the training and resources we provide to principals, much like we expect our student data to guide classroom instruction and student intervention.
Third, we recommend districts and preparation programs imbed well-being into their mentorship and principal-coaching frameworks. If principal early job training and coaching focuses as much on well-being as it does on instructional leadership, principals are more likely to feel supported and accountable to taking care of themselves.
Fourth, we need to create space for principals to focus on what matters. Too often, principals are called into unnecessary last-minute meetings. This creates added stress and emotional whiplash. But if principals were not expected to drop everything at a moment’s notice, they could focus on strategic priorities, such as staff development and campus improvement.
Last, we need to provide them with differentiated training opportunities. School leaders, like those in the private sector, need different development experiences. And we know that Black and brown leaders often face additional hurdles in their work. But oftentimes, they are given a one-size-fits-all training. We need to provide training that truly meets a principal’s unique needs.
The very purpose of our schools is to prepare students to become well-functioning adults, equipped with the lifelong knowledge and behaviors to contribute to the well-being of themselves and others. To do so, we must look holistically at the education system and understand how we can get serious about supporting our principals.
Alejandra Barbosa is executive director of Principal Impact Collaborative at UNT Dallas. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.
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