The looming shortage of quality school leaders is everyone’s problem.
Most people are more or less aware that education in America is facing a crisis of epic proportions. Teacher attrition has been in the news a lot, as these instructors—overworked, underpaid and often unappreciated—continue to leave the profession.
This is a very real and pressing problem, with massive ramifications for the future. But it’s not the only crisis looming on the education horizon. Record numbers of principals and superintendents are also considering a career change.
“Numbers don’t lie,” says Lisa O’Masta, President of Learning A-Z, pointing to a 2023 report from EAB that found nearly half (46%) of district superintendents planned to leave within two or three years, and a research brief from RAND Corporation shows increased principal and teacher turnover.
When I asked O’Masta if there was cause for concern about a school leader shortage, she answered with an emphatic “Absolutely.” Like teachers, says O’Masta, administrators work long hours with immense workloads. “Now issues like the politicization of the classroom, intensified scrutiny, and increased engagement from the community are taking an additional toll.”
This isn’t a crisis that will resolve itself, and that was the focus of my email interview with O’Masta on the state of school leadership in America. Here’s what we discussed—and why a shortage of quality school leaders is everyone’s problem.
Why they want to leave
In my role as an education consultant, I see the inner workings of schools across the country. And I agree with O’Masta when she says that most educators enter the field because they have a passion for making a difference in students’ lives. “They believe their passion, skills, and hard work can make a difference,” she says. “Expanding that impact through leadership roles allows them to support students and enable educators to flourish and bring meaningful impact to others.”
But while no one ever said that being a school leader is a walk in the park, I don’t believe anyone could have predicted the extreme and relentless additional pressures that have piled up on this role.
“The higher-than-normal stress levels stemming from navigating a complex global health crisis, political divisiveness, staffing shortages, low pay, and school violence are making it harder than ever for educators and school leaders to create the desired impact,” says O’Masta. The result? Early retirements and resignations.
Failing our leaders
So who’s responsible for all these new pressures on our school leaders? As it turns out, there’s no single person or group to blame. “The responsibility and success of schools and their leaders takes thoughtful collaboration from communities, government, and organizations alike,” says O’Masta. “The failure isn’t at one intersection but the combination of each.”
Stresses like political pressures and test scores, says O’Masta, aren’t going away. What counts is how we support school leaders in shouldering these burdens. “Schools can continue to support their leaders by promoting and enabling a positive school culture emphasizing the well-being of all staff and students and ensuring day-to-day focus on impactful teaching and student outcomes,” says O’Masta. “This effort might include resources for stress management and work-life balance.”
Districts should also find creative ways to engage the greater community in the mission of local education. Organizations and individuals are key to a school’s ability to adopt innovative educational practices that deliver the evolving skill sets required by the next generation of students (one example: teaching the ethical and effective use of AI).
“Through these partnerships, schools expand opportunities for leaders, teachers, and students and generate many possibilities for replicating successes,” says O’Masta.
The coming fallout
While 46% of school leaders are considering calling it quits, that doesn’t mean all of them will. But if we don’t provide meaningful support for our school leaders, says O’Masta, we fail our leaders, teachers, students and society as a whole. “The success of our schools is directly linked to the development of our country’s future leaders.”
Overburdened principals and superintendents, left without internal and external support in the community, must work harder every year to find a reason to stay. If and when they make the decision to leave, O’Masta believes that districts will struggle to find candidates with the requisite talent and passion.
“In these situations, leaders who do stay will be constantly stretched thin and asked to do more, or inexperienced people will be thrust into roles without the support needed to steer their schools and districts through ongoing challenges,” she warns.
Another consequence of a school leader shortage will be the lack of a clear vision for improvement and growth. “There will be conflicting priorities and a fragmented school culture,” says O’Masta. “Poor leadership will result in indecisiveness, delayed decision-making, or decisions not made in the best interest of students and staff.”
She sums up the end result: “Leaders leave, teachers struggle or leave, and students with fewer financial resources and less support at home will fall further behind and fail to develop the necessary skills to become the next generation of leaders.”
It’s not a pretty picture.
The mental health component
Mental health has become a bigger challenge for almost everyone since the onset of the pandemic, and education leaders are no exception. While many school leaders may already be utilizing the following resources shared with me by O’Masta, a reminder never hurts. Leaders can safeguard their mental health by:
- Developing a strong support network within—and outside—the school community, including trusted colleagues, mentors, and professional networks
- Seeking opportunities for peer support where they can share experiences, challenges, and strategies for managing stress and workloads
- As needed, utilizing therapy or counseling services to help address personal or work-related concerns
Additionally, says O’Masta, teachers and leaders alike should reflect, share and celebrate wins as often as possible while leveraging their support system to address challenges and share lessons learned. “Reflection takes many forms, including journaling, meditation, or other practices to promote self-awareness and well-being,” she says.
Finally, school leaders can better protect their mental health by replacing self-criticism with self-compassion—in O’Masta’s words, “acknowledging personal limitations and mistakes and recognizing that you can’t be everything to everyone all the time.”
Retention success
While the overall landscape might look bleak in terms of school leader retention, there are pockets of hope and help for overwhelmed administrators. One example is Denver Public Schools and their community partnership program, which expands the support of leaders to a network of organizations, families, and other schools with a shared goal of generating student growth.
“There are many of these collaborative programs across the country,” says O’Masta. “Through sharing best practices, other districts can expand their outreach to support our shared goals of student success.”
Additionally, O’Masta points to associations and organizations such as the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and Voice4Equity as examples of powerful organizations creating networking and support opportunities for school leaders. One of the biggest benefits of these organizations is the forum they provide for school leaders to support and learn from each other.
Everyone’s problem: everyone’s solution
Because of the complex nature of education and how it touches individuals at all levels of the community, the solution to the school leader shortage must be approached from multiple angles. And that means we all have something to contribute to make our schools a desirable place for these leaders to invest their expertise.
If we can’t rally around for school leaders for their own sake, we can at least support them for the sake of students. “There is too much finger-pointing and blame and not enough trust and collaboration to effectively support schools and their leaders,” says O’Masta. “In so many cases, we have lost sight of the core mission and failed our students.”
Schools are tasked with shaping the next generation, and that’s why it’s everyone’s problem if staff shortages prevent them from carrying out this vision. To keep our experienced school leaders from stepping down, we all need to step up.
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