Minding Retention: Aligning Mindfulness Interventions With Principal Turnover

• In Event: Educator Stress, Well-Being, and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Research shows that nearly 20% of school principals exit their position each year--and cite high levels of stress as a primary motivating factor. Concurrently, a growing body of research has shown that the incorporation of mindfulness practices into the workplace demonstrate several significant benefits, including a reduction in stress and sense of burnout. In this conceptual paper, we seek to recognize the linkage between the measured benefits of mindfulness practices and principal retention as a means to better develop local strategies to reduce high levels of leadership turnover. We offer a review of the relevant research on mindfulness and retention, alongside an identification of the organizational, social, and cultural barriers to the adoption of mindfulness practices in public schools.

Author

• Dong Jin Kim, Dongguk University