Ballou High School Principal Willie Jackson encourages students. The school was the subject of a major investigation that found that many students were graduating without meeting all of the stated requirements. (Photo by Jenny Abamu / WAMU)
The D.C. Auditor’s office says that the District’s principals are the most stressed in the nation, and the policy of only giving school leaders one-year contracts is largely to blame.
The report, commissioned in response to a request from the State Board of Education, showed that local school leaders feel stressed more often than their national peers. About 54 percent of those surveyed reported that they are “under great stress” almost every day, as opposed to 20 percent of principals nationally.
D.C. auditor’s report reveals what factors are stressing out principals. (Image courtesy of the D.C. Auditor’s Office)
For years, principals in the city have had one-year contracts, but it wasn’t until 2007, when then-Chancellor Michelle Rhee came in and shook up the system closing schools and firing teachers and principals, that the churn increased. Since that time, hundreds of principals have lost their jobs. For the last three years, roughly one-fifth of DCPS principals have been new each school year.
According to D.C. Auditor Kathleen Patterson, this high turnover causes principals to have a hard time making long-term decisions, since many of them fear that if they don’t make short-term gains, they won’t stick around. For leaders in struggling high schools in particular, the pressure can be destabilizing.
“They felt that they were just under way too much pressure to have successes that they could show between now and May, rather than things that would build over time,” says Patterson.
In an earlier interview with WAMU, interim Chancellor Amanda Alexander noted that she is concerned about the high turnover among school leaders in D.C., but said some principals need to be replaced.
Pressure to promote also to blame
The confidential survey also revealed that about 56 percent of D.C. principals alleged that the District had created a culture of promoting students regardless of their academic achievement. They blame lofty graduation goals and the threat of losing their jobs for generating pressure to promote undeserving students.
Last year, investigations (including a collaboration by NPR and WAMU) revealed that students with chronic absences were being passed and given diplomas. One of the reasons some school leaders gave for moving students through the system was the high-pressure work environments in D.C. schools.
In response to the auditor’s report, DCPS officials note that they retain 95 percent of their highest performing principals, but they also say they are working on engagement. “We will continue to engage our school leaders through many ways including, weekly faculty meetings, annual surveys, rigorous professional development, and the Chancellor’s Principal Cabinet. We also look forward to continuing to recruit, develop, and retain a team of excellent educators,” officials said in a statement.
This story was originally published on WAMU.
