Principals Wanted: Apply Just About Anywhere

Ask superintendents whether they're having trouble finding principals, and the frustration comes pouring out.

"I have a real fear of where we're going to get the next generation of building-level administrators—fear and concern," said Robert L. Urzillo, the superintendent of the 3,300-student Phoenixville, Pa., district just outside Philadelphia. "There are not a lot of candidates out there."

Cindy Miner knows that firsthand. The superintendent of the 1,700-student Sodus Central School District in upstate New York is currently doubling as a high school principal. "We have been unable to fill the position," she said, despite having advertised since June. "Over the last three years, we've had to advertise for a principal or an assistant principal three times, and the pickings out...