Unstable Times: Race, Gender, and Leaving the Principalship During the Great Recession

• In Event: From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Exploring Approaches to Promoting Equity in Education

Abstract

This paper aims to address how the social and economic shock of the Great Recession impacted exits from the principalship by race and gender. Using a longitudinal sample of more than 25,000 principals over a 21-year period in Texas, we us time-series models to estimate the comparative risk of principal exits during the Great Recession. Results demonstrate that, counter to expectations, White male principals were much more likely to exit the profession than others during the Recession. These results posit an alternative to the traditional notion of leaving the profession based on more challenging working conditions, suggesting that White male principals feel less ‘buckled down’ during heightened economic turbulence and perceive less transfer risk or commitment to their schools.

Authors

• Andrew Pendola, Auburn University

• Ed Fuller, The Pennsylvania State University

• Liz Hollingworth, University of Iowa