School & District Management Opinion

The Challenges of School Leadership Series

The job of the school principal is a difficult and demanding one, and the attrition rate bears this out: According to a 2014 study from the School Leaders Network, 25 percent of principals leave their schools each year, and 50 percent of new principals quit during their third year. Against this backdrop, Education Week Commentary editors invited school leaders from across the country to write about their biggest professional challenges and how they manage them. The package also includes audio slideshows, in which each of the four principals discusses what he or she would most like policymakers to know about the job.

Principal Tamara McWilliams stands in the hallway at Ozona Middle School in Ozona, Texas. She is the principal of the only elementary and middle schools in the rural town, with a population of just over 3,200.
Principal Tamara McWilliams stands in the hallway at Ozona Middle School in Ozona, Texas. She is the principal of the only elementary and middle schools in the rural town, with a population of just over 3,200.
Lisa Krantz for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion A Principal Takes Charge of School Morale
Amidst a web of challenges, principals can still manage to control the "weather" inside their schools, writes Tamara McWilliams.
Tamara McWilliams, November 10, 2015
3 min read
Rodney Fisher, the founding principal of the Marie Curie High School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions, poses for a portrait inside the New York City school.
Rodney Fisher, the founding principal of the Marie Curie High School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions, poses for a portrait inside the New York City school.
Mark Abramson for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion A Playbook for Responsive School Leadership
A rash of student transfers was a wake-up call for Principal Rodney Fisher to prioritize his school's mission, he writes.
Rodney Fisher, November 10, 2015
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Steve Braden for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Opinion How to Combat Principal Churn
The Harvard Graduate School of Education's Mary Grassa O'Neill shares recommendations for keeping principals in their jobs.
Mary Grassa O'Neill, November 10, 2015
2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Steve Braden for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion What Keeps Principals Up at Night?
The No Child Left Behind Act has had an impact on principalship, writes Harvard Graduate School of Education's Deborah Jewell-Sherman.
Deborah Jewell-Sherman, November 10, 2015
2 min read
Habeeb Quadri, the principal of Muslim Community Center Academy, shakes hands with students following afternoon prayers at the school's Morton Grove, Ill., campus.
Habeeb Quadri, the principal of Muslim Community Center Academy, shakes hands with students following afternoon prayers at the school's Morton Grove, Ill., campus.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion Building Community, One Student at a Time
Leading a parochial school demands an engaged focus on students' sense of community and character, says Habeeb Quadri.
Habeeb Quadri, November 10, 2015
4 min read
Meriwether Lewis Elementary School Principal Tim Lauer makes his normal visiting rounds of classrooms, in Portland, Ore.
Meriwether Lewis Elementary School Principal Tim Lauer makes his normal visiting rounds of classrooms, in Portland, Ore.
Leah Nash for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion Tech Solutions to Principals' Overloaded Schedules
Principal Tim Lauer shares how he uses technology to balance extended classroom visits with his other leadership responsibilities.
Tim Lauer, November 10, 2015
4 min read

Coverage of leadership, expanded learning time, and arts learning is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at www.wallacefoundation.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.