Reports of the shortage of applicants for school leadership positions are well-known. The authors of "Churn: The High Cost of Principal Turnover" say a quarter of the country’s principals will leave their schools each year, and nearly 50 percent will leave in the third year.
Missing from the reports is an analysis of why individuals who already hold an administrative license are not applying for vacant principal positions. In New Mexico, where turnover rates are among the highest, executive sources say there may be as many as 200 or more licensed administrators in the pipeline who have never applied for openings.
Why aren't license holders stepping up to school leadership? We know that prospective candidates took the steps to prepare for and earn a license — but we don’t know much about the deeper issues that may be keeping them from joining the administrative ranks.
We need to do a better job of listening to the license holders. Surveys and focus groups are a good place to start. Armed with direct accounts of the license holders, districts and states can be better equipped to address concerns and reignite the passion that first drew the candidates to school leadership.
Some license holders may simply need a little guidance through the process of applying for and securing a principal position. District leaders can help by matching prospective candidates with veteran principals who can coach them along the way. Veteran principals can address candidates' questions and guide them through the steps needed to land the first position.
Others may need a safe and supportive place to discuss their reasons for delaying entry into principalship. Evidence from Great Principals at Scale suggests districts and states must continue to invest in candidates beyond their preparation programs. The investment need not be cost-prohibitive.
One low-cost option is to provide a place and space for license holders to network. Informal networking can address the sense of isolation that is often felt by students at the end of their formal preparation programs.
Support networks provide potential candidates with the opportunity to swap information and resources that will leverage their strengths and professional capital. Networking can be a powerful way to help license holders revive their interest in principalship and tap back into their desire to make an impact on student learning.
When license holders need more than guidance and informal networking support, it's time to step up the game and expand the support team. Districts, colleges and departments of education each have a role in providing ongoing professional development for license holders who may lack confidence in their readiness to lead.
Prospective candidates may need a refresher on developing shared leadership teams or leading learning communities. They can be invited to attend in-service activities and meetings with sitting principals who know how to delegate administrative tasks, deal with heightened accountability pressures and time demands, and provide for supervision, school safety, and the span of duties of the principalship.
License holders also need to take responsibility for their own professional development. They can be encouraged to seek out new target experiences that will propel them into school leadership, such as spearheading a project that supports student well-being, assuming a leadership role with professional learning communities, making presentations at staff and community meetings, participating on interview teams, and serving on district-level committees in curriculum, budget and assessment.
Evidence from a study by the Center on Reinventing Public Education suggests the need to make the principal role more attractive to potential candidates. The lack of attractiveness to the job is underscored in media reports of the overwhelming nature of the job.
Educators need to challenge the media's assertion. As a seasoned principal, I suggest that questions about whether the principal's job is doable generally boil down to the candidate's competence and confidence to do the job.
All of these experiences will go a long way in improving license holders' confidence to apply for and bring their talents to bear on the challenges of school leadership. The nation's schools are waiting for license holders to step up to the leadership role and fulfill their promise to make a difference in the lives of children.
