Principal role changes and influence on principal recruitment and selection. An international perspective
| Published date | 01 February 2003 |
| Date | 01 February 2003 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230310457420 |
| Pages | 37-54 |
| Author | Kathryn S. Whitaker |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Principal role changes and
influence on principal
recruitment and selection
An international perspective
Kathryn S. Whitaker
Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies,
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, USA
Keywords Teachers, Change, Retention, Recruitment
Abstract This article presents an overview of the changing role of principals and head teachers
from an international perspective. The role changes of local site management, increased
accountability, the tension between management and leadership, altered relationships with
community, and dilemmas related to school choice are described. The article makes a connection
between principal role changes and difficulties in recruitment and retention of principals
internationally. Data are presented on principal shortages in several countries. The article
concludes with several recommendations to address principal recruitment and retention issues.
For over a decade the literature has documented the changed role of school
principals. New definitions of the principal’s role have been delineated by
various commissions and professional associations. Specifically in the USA, the
National Policy Board for Educational Administration (1989), the National
Commission for the Principalship (1993), and the Institute for Educational
Leadership (2000) have proposed recommendations to enhance the capacity of
school administrators and leadership preparation programs.
Principal role changes frequently cited in the literature include site-based or
collaborative decision making, increasing pressures related to high stakes
testing and accountability, the incr eased role of management, altered
relationships with community, and dilemmas related to school choice, to
name a few (Williams and Portin, 1997; Murphy, 1994; Hart and Bredesen,
1996; Whitaker, 1999). Despite some of their positive impacts, these role
changes have led to an increase in overall workloads and have contributed to
increased stress for principals (Pounder and Merrill, 2001; Whan and Thomas,
1996).
In addition to a wealth of documentation in the USA, principal role changes
have been detailed in other countries as well, particularly in Western countries.
Jones (1999) and Southworth (1998), for example, reported studies that point to
altered principal roles created by national reforms in Great Britain. Similarly,
major reforms in the New Zealand education system have created greater
workload and stress, new relationships with community, and a tension between
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Principal role
changes
37
Received May 2002
Revised June 2002
Accepted June 2002
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 41 No. 1, 2003
pp. 37-54
qMCB UP Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230310457420
leadership and management for principals (Harold, 1998). The report of the
working group on the role of the primary school principal in Ireland stated,
“The enormous development in the role of the principal following societal,
legislative, and educational changes involves increasing responsibilities and
wider aspects of the role, leading to new challenges and new tensions in
carrying it out” (Report of the Working Group, Department of Education and
Science, 1999, p. ii).
These role changes have influenced principal selection and retention efforts
of regional education boards, states, and school districts. Effective recruitment
and selection of school leaders continues to be one of the more challenging
human resource functions (Pounder and Young, 1996). Emerging trends
suggest that it is becoming more difficult to find quality applicants for the
principalship and, similarly, more difficult to retain current principals, leading
to a shortage of principals and headteachers to lead schools (Cooley and Shen,
2000; Educational Research Service, 1998; Ireland Primary Principals’ Network,
2002; Portin, 2000).
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the role changes
experienced by principals in several countries, and to make a link between
these role changes and the issues of recruitment and retention of quality
candidates for the principalship. The article will conclude with several
recommendations to address the emerging problem of finding qualified
individuals to lead public schools.
An international picture of principal role changes
An examination of altered role changes for principals in select Western
countries indicates these changes can be grouped into five predominant
categories. These include a site-based or local management of schools; a tension
between management an d leadership; increa sed accountability; altered
relationships with parents and community; and school choice. While this list
is not exhaustive, many of the new or changed responsibilities of principals and
headteachers can be grouped within these categories.
Local management of schools
Local management of schools, often referred to as site-based management or
site council governance, is designed to move decision making closer to the
school and empower school officials and parents with more decision making
authority. This is the stated purpose in countries such as England and New
Zealand and is designed to encourage innovation and efficient use of resources
at the site level (Portin, 2000). In many countries such as Australia, the United
Kingdom, and New Zealand, local control policies grew out of national reforms
implemented during the 1980s.
In England, local management of schools was recognized as a major change
in the daily work of headteachers. Southworth (1998) found that headteachers
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