You Can't Make It on Your Own: Lessons on Resilience From Black School Leaders

• In Event: Improving Leader of Color Retention: How Lessons on Principal Turnover Are Influencing New District Practices

Abstract

A growing body of research shows that principal turnover is higher among people of racialized backgrounds and is associated with lower rates of student proficiency (Meyer et al, 2020). Research also has begun to explain the reasons behind the higher rates of turnover for leaders of color. This study of African American principals and assistant principals from an urban district on the West Coast examines a district initiative by asking the following question: What specific conditions or structures support the tenure of African American school leaders?

Data and Methods

The district offers an induction and support program for its new school leaders or those new to leadership within the District. Between 2018 and 2021, 34 African American school leaders participated in the program. In addition, the induction program staff provided contact information for nine additional Black school leaders who never had participated in its induction and training program. This formed our population of 43 African American principals and assistant principals. The sampling population was divided into groups of 12. For each subpopulation, there were two male and two female, two principals and two assistant principals for each of the three school divisions (early childhood/elementary, middle and high). Invitations to participate in an interview were sent out during the first two weeks of data collection to the first two waves. This resulted in a sample heavily weighted by those who had chosen to remain with the district. The third and final subpopulation of 12 was pulled from the 3 divisions, and was only composed of those who had left the District.

To answer our research question, we drew on data from 18 interviews with African American school leaders, which were conducted in June and July 2021. Each interview lasted between 30 and 66 minutes, with an average length of 50 minutes. Half of the participants were principals (n=9), and the other half were assistant principals (n=9). Of those who began their tenure as leaders in the district, 11 remained in the same position or moved to a higher role within the school or district (e.g. assistant principal to principal). On the other hand, seven have left their roles with the district entirely. Table 1 provides additional demographic information about the sample.

Findings

After analyzing the data, we found that the collaborative and practical nature of the induction and training program has been successful in supporting African American leaders in the district through 1) the building of professional networks, 2) the provision of an experienced coach and 3) opportunities for practical, on-the-job training. First, the program allows participants to form relationships with their peers from across the district. When challenges arise, they consult one another and offer support. In addition, each participant is assigned a coach, or more experienced District leader who serves as a sounding board, thought partner and more knowledgeable other to scaffold learning and decision-making for school leaders. Third, nothing school leader learned in their administrative credentialing program sufficiently prepared them for the reality of being a principal as much as the practical, on-the-job training provided in the induction program.

Author

• Crystal A Moore, Stanford University