Reliability principal definition
#Reliability principal definition professional
While their impact on student achievement is indirect, principals exert influence over factors such as school climate and teacher working conditions, and make human capital (i.e., teacher hiring) and professional development decisions that indirectly influence student learning outcomes (Cannata et al., 2017 Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012). Principals exert a strong influence on student learning and achievement through their ability to impact the organizational school features necessary for high-quality teaching and learning (Hitt & Tucker, 2016 Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2019 Leithwood, Harris, & Strauss, 2010 Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe, 2008 Supovitz, Sirinides, & May, 2010). Targeted financial incentives to work in high-needs schools coupled with improvements to principals’ working conditions can enhance retention, as can principal accountability systems that given principals increased autonomy but that also focus on ensuring they can build teacher capacity for the use of evidence-based instructional strategies.ĭonley, J., Detrich, R., States, J., & Keyworth, (2020). Evidence-based strategies to improve principal retention include coaching, mentoring and leadership supports tailored to a principal’s school context, and pipeline initiatives designed to increase the supply of high-quality candidates through recruitment, preparation, and ongoing development and support. Principal turnover incurs significant financial costs, and often leads to increased teacher turnover and decreased student achievement, unless a ready supply of more effective principals is available to replace low-performing ones. District and policy characteristics such as tenure/union membership and policies intended to reduce teacher turnover also reduce the likelihood of principal turnover, as do high-quality professional development and support programs.
Working conditions found to influence principal turnover include negative disciplinary environments, lack of autonomy in decision-making regarding personnel and finances, and salary, whose impact is moderated by job benefits and other nonmonetary working conditions.
Less effective principals are more likely to leave their schools, which may imply the chance for improved school outcomes if they are replaced by more effective principals however, research has yet to explore the extent to which this occurs. Principal turnover is higher in public charter than traditional public schools, in part because many charter schools are located in economically disadvantaged areas which have higher turnover rates generally. Principals are critical to determining teaching quality, and in turn, student learning and achievement retaining effective principals therefore is paramount, particularly in schools striving for rapid improvement.