The Pain Outweighs the Gain: Why Teachers Don't Want to Become Principals

Abstract

U.S. schools are facing a crisis of leadership because many school districts are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new principals. Whereas teachers represent the group from which the largest number of new principals is likely to be drawn, fewer and fewer of them now seem willing to seek administrative positions. Understanding their perspectives provides an important basis for addressing critical shortages. Using survey data from a large Ohio sample, the present study examined the views of teachers with regard to what are commonly perceived as incentives and disincentives associated with the principalship. It also explored the characteristics of teachers that make them more and less receptive to the idea of seeking leadership positions. Results showed that, in general, teachers view the disincentives associated with the principalship as more potent than the incentives. Variables that were significantly associated with the view that the principalship was “worth it” (i.e., that the incentives outweighed the disincentives) included gender (i.e., maleness), administrative licensure, and the tendency to value the practice whereby school leaders groom teachers for leadership positions.