Fantastic Principals and Where to Find Them: Lessons on the Internal Succession of Chilean Principals

• In Event: Developing and Sustaining Resilient Equity-Focused Leaders

Abstract

The relevance of effective leadership for student learning and the improvement of schools is undeniable. However, studies warn of a global crisis in the recruitment and retention of school principals, which has led educational systems to innovate in their strategies to develop and locate good principals in all their schools. In Chile, principal selection policies currently favor the recruitment of external candidates over internal succession. This paper addresses the internal succession of Chilean principals through a qualitative case study of 10 public school principals, analyzing their career path using Moorosi’s (2010) three-stage model as an analytical framework. Based on these findings, five lessons are discussed to develop a strategy of internal succession to complement external recruitment of future principals

Authors

• Álvaro González, Universidad Catolica Silva Henriquez

• Sergio Galdames, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso