Where’s the Leverage for Improving Washington’s Principal Workforce?

• In Event: Teacher and Administrator Hiring and Workforce Management

Abstract

Intuition and recent research tell us that an effective principal is a necessary—though not sufficient—ingredient for improving school-wide achievement. Like so much in education, principal effectiveness is also tied to concerns about equity, since schools with large shares of disadvantaged students often struggle to hire and retain experienced principals. However, researchers are still at the very beginning of understanding how school district hiring, retention, and support policies shape the principal workforce. This study combines longitudinal administrative data and original surveys from Washington State to better understand how the dynamics of the principal labor market and district human resource policies shape who ends up leading schools and how principals impact student learning.

Authors

• Patrick Denice, University of Washington

• Michael DeArmond, University of Washington

• Christine Campbell, University of Washington