The Success and Failure of New Principals in Six Urban Districts

From the Marshall Memo #427

In this Rand study of first-year principals (in Memphis, Chicago, New York City, 

Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Oakland), researchers Susan Burkhauser, Susan Gates, Laura 

Hamilton, and Gina Schuyler Ikemoto come to the following conclusions:

• Of the 519 new principals in the study, 61 left within one year and another 56 within two years. Those placed in schools that had previously failed to meet AYP were more likely to leave soon, as were those whose schools’ test scores declined on their watch.

• Most schools that lost a principal after one year performed less well the next year, indicating that “a poor match between a principal and a school can have lingering consequences,” say the authors. “This suggests that improving the principal placement process to ensure that individuals are truly ready for and supported in their new roles could have important implications for student achievement – particularly in low-performing schools.

• The study did not find a strong relationship between principals’ stated goals and student achievement – or their chances of staying in the position. Successful and unsuccessful principals articulated similar goals (e.g., promoting data use, observing classrooms, forming leadership teams, teacher PD, building culture) and said they spent time pursuing them. It was the quality of implementation and level of staff buy-in that made the difference in student outcomes and principals’ longevity. 

• Teacher capacity and staff cohesiveness were the variables most strongly associated with better student achievement, and the most successful new principals in the study had an immediate impact in these areas. They:

• Wasted no time recruiting strong staff;
• Conducted one-on-one meetings with all staff;
• Respected prior practices and culture;
• Communicated clear and fair expectations;
• Were visible in classrooms.

These actions helped new principals implement improvement strategies efficiently and successfully.

• Principals’ career plans were not strongly related to retention. The desire to “trade up” to a “better” school did not seem to play a part in whether principals stayed or left.

“First-Year Principals in Urban School Districts: How Actions and Working Conditions Relate to Outcomes” by Susan Burkhauser, Susan Gates, Laura Hamilton, and Gina Schuyler Ikemoto, a Rand Corporation Education Technical Report, February 2012; this study was sponsored by New Leaders (formerly New Leaders for New Schools);

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2012/RA...