Managing Principal Workload Can Increase Retention

District leaders can increase principal retention by providing intentional coaching and supports that alleviate the workload and help principals identify ways to manage their workload stress.

According to the 2022 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Survey of America's School Leaders and High School Students, 38 percent of principals considered leaving the profession over the next three years. The heavy workload is one of the main reasons noted. Principals expressed the need for more access to coaching from district leaders and supervisors to effectively manage their workload.

Principal Workload

In engagement surveys conducted by the Instructional Leadership Collective, 10 common workload themes emerged for which principals need support to continue leading their schools successfully. These workloads have been divided into two categories: personal workload and leadership workload. The categories may blur together, and this is, by no means, an exhaustive list.

Personal

Personal workload is something principals have control of but may need coaching from district leadership or supervisors to identify and manage. Principals often struggle with balancing the demanding roles of operational management, instructional leadership, and personal wellness. Typically, principals will spend more time on the most urgent situations that arise or tasks they are more confident with while delaying more challenging responsibilities.

Most principals need to address the personal workload categories before addressing the leadership workload categories. Personal workloads include the following four themes along with some possible strategies for district leaders to implement:

• Balancing responsibilities: Through coaching sessions, explore responsibilities that are challenging to the principal and work to increase leadership skills in areas that the principal may be less confident. Principals tend to spend more time with tasks they are comfortable with. Emphasize a balance between responsibilities and encourage a healthy work-life balance.
• Time and resource management: Assist the principal in reviewing their calendar to see where they are spending their time. Provide existing district tools, resources, and strategies to track and manage the principal’s time and management of tasks.
• Peer collaboration and professional growth: Build in time for opportunities to collaborate and learn from colleagues facing similar challenges. Encourage self-reflection and choices in professional development.
• Urgency and overwhelm: Identify ways for the principal to manage personal feelings when dealing with unexpected situations that prevent conducting business as usual. Help them find ways to get back on schedule after dealing with unexpected obstacles.

Leadership

Once principals have a grasp on managing their personal workload, they can shift attention to the “leadership of others” workload. This includes the leadership connection between the principal and the staff in supporting their work and the academic success of their students.

The leadership workload categories include the following six themes along with some examples of possible leadership supports:

• Instructional leadership and school improvement: Coach principals to set, monitor, and adjust goals from their school improvement plans to focus on high-leverage strategies that drive school improvement.
• Staff collaboration and capacity building: Brainstorm strategies with the principal on the best ways to build trust, share accountability, and increase staff buy-in to share responsibilities and improve team effectiveness.
• Student engagement and attendance: Furnish district resources and strategies that help the principal address absenteeism, student behavioral issues, and family engagement.
• Staff and student well-being: Dialogue with principals on how their stated expectations and behaviors affect staff and student morale and engagement.
• Diverse learning environments: Supply culturally relevant teaching materials and allow for celebrations of their specific school community.
• Building relationships: Discuss and model ways to build relationships between families, the community, and the school to achieve broader school goals.

Focusing on these 10 themes can help principals manage stressful workloads, develop their instructional and leadership skills, and understand that while they can’t control all situations that arise, they can learn to intentionally control how they react and respond to them.

More Information

For more information, check out the Education Week article What’s the No. 1 Way to Retain Principals?.