New Report Outlines Growing Potential for a Principal Shortage and Policy Recommendations
May 14, 2020
According to a new report by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, a growing shortage of secondary school principals is “hampering the country’s efforts to provide quality educational opportunities for students.” Among the key findings, the new report found that 42% of surveyed principals “indicated they were considering leaving their position,” with the “percentage of principals planning to move to a different school” being higher “for those in high-poverty schools and rural communities.” Some of the factors impacting the rising turnover rate among principals include working conditions, compensation, accountability systems and evaluation practices, and inadequate access to professional learning opportunities, among other variables. One recommendation at the local level provided in the report would be to use local and federal funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act and other federal education mandates to “address such obstacles as the provision of timely, relevant content, and coverage, if needed, so that principals can participate in professional