Principalship Succession and Socialization in Charter Schools

• In Event: The Charter School Principal: Inside Perspectives

Abstract

Objective

While much has been written about the role of traditional principals in school succession (Datnow, Hubbard, & Mehan, 2002; Hargreaves et al., 2003), little is understood about the role of charter school principals, and how succession coupled with the process of socialization influences the success of charter schools. Thus, the current study explores how charter schools manage succession and control the socialization of individuals as they move into principalship roles.

Theoretical Framework

This study helps fill a gap in the research by exploring the processes of principalship succession and socialization in charter schools. Succession and socialization are complementary processes (Bengtson et al., 2013). The need for schools to strategically plan and manage the succession of principals is well documented (Hargreaves & Fink, 2006; Fink and Brayman, 2004, 2006; Hargreaves et al., 2003; Hart, 1993). Although there is an extensive literature on succession (Hargreaves et al., 2003), there have been few attempts to analyze charter school succession planning at the school level. This study uses the six dimensions of the socialization process identified by Van Maanen and Schein (1979) to explore the strategies employed by charter schools and to produce a more nuanced understanding of how incoming charter school principals approach succession and are then socialized to adjust to the needs of the charter school.

Methods

This study is exploratory and inductive in nature. I use extensive data on three charter school principals to fashion a rich, thick description of the ways in which the focal charter schools manage principalship succession and socialization. I examine five issues in particular: (1) how principals are chosen at the school sites; (2) the schools’ succession plans; (3) the extent to which managing principalship succession is a priority for the charter school principals in the sample; (4) how the sampled charter school principals experience socialization within their schools; and (5) the relationship between principalship role and the practices and processes that lead to socialization.

Findings

The findings are divided into three themes: the importance of succession planning, teacher leadership development and principalship styles and culture.
The importance of succession planning. Overall, the charter school principals expressed little to no concern about succession planning and management, suggesting there was a high degree of variable socialization when a new principal was hired.
Teacher leadership development. The charter schools principals in this study recognized some level of need for the development of principals, and identified aspects of teacher leadership development as their formal and informal sequential tactics for socialization and succession. Principalship styles and culture. All three principals displayed characteristics of collective socialization (socialization in which individuals share a common set of experiences and are influenced by their peers), varying by principalship style and cultural context of the school.

Significance
This study provides a conceptual framework that can serve as a foundation for future research, which should (1) highlight the practices associated with using teacher leadership as a stepping stone to building-level principalship, and (2) compare network-based and stand-alone charter schools with respect to principalship development.

Author

• Marytza Anne Gawlik, Florida State University