Abstract
On the topic of principal succession, there is often an implied sense of deliberation about the process. Yet in many of the schools where we work, changing principals is anything but an intentional process. The circumstances that prompt a principal to move from the job are diverse, and often unplanned. Another aspect which complicates this concerns the changing nature of leadership itself. School leaders are being asked to be transformational leaders and instructional leaders, and must also ensure that schools are both safe and supportive. This chapter focuses on the degree to which leaders influence the culture of the organization. Survey responses from teachers provided data for this study. Principal turnover is seen to be strongly correlated with school culture, classroom curriculum and instruction. The lack of relationship between principal turnover and student achievement was surprising. We worked to unpack the relationship between principal turnover and student achievement, through the mediating variables in this survey.
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Notes
- 1.
The notion of “fit” between leader and school is central to district administrators’ decision-making concerning principal placement.
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Mascall, B., Moore, S., Jantzi, D., Walker, K., Sacks, R. (2011). Survive and Thrive: Leadership Distribution as a Strategy for Frequent Principal Turnover. In: White, R., Cooper, K. (eds) Principals in Succession. Studies in Educational Leadership, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1275-1_7
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