Principals have a difficult job. The role demands managing many stakeholders, including students, teachers, districts, and the school’s local community. Although the principal turnover rate has declined, at eight percent, it is still above pre-pandemic levels. Research shows that school leadership is second only to classroom instruction in school-related impacts on student learning. With all the challenges and stressors that principals face, the question then becomes: how can districts better retain their school leaders?
A 2019 study from the RAND Corporation found that six large school districts that built principal pipelines saw better retention of new principals. This study examined Wallace’s Principal Pipeline Initiative, which sought to implement a wide-ranging set of actions school districts could take to develop and support effective school leadership.
The principal pipelines had four major components:
- Rigorous standards that spell out what principals are supposed to know and do. These standards guided all other pipeline components.
- High-quality pre-service training for assistant principals and principals.
- Selective hiring and placement. Districts required candidates to demonstrate core leadership competencies. They also created “leader tracking systems.” These are data systems to help districts make informed decisions about leader development and principal hiring, placement, and support.
- Comprehensive on-the-job evaluation, and support. Novice principals received mentoring. A number of the districts redefined and strengthened the role of principal supervisors. Principals were evaluated based on the district’s leader standards.
Results of the study showed that pipeline-building was not only doable for the six districts, but implementing principal pipelines also increased staff retention. Principal turnover decreased in pipeline schools after three years. Pipeline schools had nearly eight fewer losses for every 100 newly placed principals than the comparison group. This is significant because principal turnover is disruptive and costly to schools. Districts spend an estimated $75,000 to bring a new principal into the role. More effective leadership was also shown to have a ripple effect, as teacher retention rates increased in the pipeline districts as well.
Retaining effective principals is the key…You want effective principals who understand how to build a community.
— Doug Anthony, associate superintendent of the Office of Talent Development in Prince George’s County Public Schools
“Retention is extremely important,” says Doug Anthony, associate superintendent of the Office of Talent Development in Prince George’s County Public Schools, one of the six original pipeline districts, in the eighth episode of Wallace’s Principal Pipeline Podcast, “But I would qualify it by saying retaining effective principals is the key…You want effective principals who understand how to build a community. They also stabilize a community in many instances by making sure that they have a quality teacher. An effective principal is a key lever in retaining a high-quality staff. They create retention in a lot of spaces. If we can retain an effective principal, it leads to having effective teachers, and ultimately, helps stabilize a community.”
In the same podcast episode, Jaime Whitfield-Coffen, principal of Tulip Grove Elementary School in Prince George’s County, discussed the importance of having a strong professional network of principal supervisors backing her success.
“You don’t always have the right answer, but I think that that’s where that network is so helpful,” Whitfield-Coffen says, “Because there’s always a lot of people that you can lean on, whether it be your instructional director or just other mentors who serve in the capacity of coach…There’s not always someone giving you the answer, but someone who’s pushing you to just think a little bit deeper to kind of get to that place to where you need to be.”
The districts, which were all large, also found pipeline-building to be relatively inexpensive. This suggests that other large districts could also build pipelines with similar results. Districts spent about $42 per student per year on pipeline activities during the initiative. That amount was less than 0.5 percent of each district’s budget, on average.
The principalship is a tough position, but districts can take action to build effective, long-term leadership. Click here to learn more about Wallace’s ongoing work in education leadership.
