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A Job Too Big for One: Multiple Principals and Other Nontraditional Approaches to School Leadership

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Title: A Job Too Big for One: Multiple Principals and Other Nontraditional Approaches to School Leadership
Language: English
Authors: Grubb, Norton W., Flessa, Joseph J.
Source: Educational Administration Quarterly. Oct 2006 42(4):518-550.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 33
Publication Date: 2006
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: Accountability, Principals, Educational Improvement, School Administration, School Restructuring, Interviews, Administrative Policy, School Organization, Leadership, School Districts, Data Collection, Case Studies, Comparative Analysis, Leadership Responsibility
DOI: 10.1177/0013161X06290641
ISSN: 0013-161X
Abstract: Background: Current federal, state, and local school accountability measures as well as policy initiatives that call for improved leadership have placed increasing demands on principals. Many districts face shortages of appropriate candidates for the job; popularly, this shortage is explained by the fact that simply too few hero-principals exist for all openings available, particularly in high-needs districts. An alternative to finding the perfect--and rare--candidate for an increasingly untenable position is to restructure the job itself. Purpose: This article examines 10 schools that have adopted alternative structures: schools with two principals, three principals, and rotating principals and a school with the principal's duties distributed among teachers. These 10 sites provide examples of alternative ways of organizing school leadership with varying benefits and challenges. Research Methods: Data collection at the 10 schools included site visits conducted by a team of researchers, interviews with principals, teacher leaders, and district supervisors. Observational and interview protocols were adapted from the Northwestern University Distributed Leadership Study. These protocols focus on uncovering not only how school site leaders explain their decisions but also on providing evidence of what those decisions are. Interview and observational data were organized into thematic codes to permit cross-case comparison. Findings: We observed the idiosyncratic ways in which schools and districts approached the policy dilemmas associated with attempts to change the default administrative structure of principal and assistant principal. Some schools with coprincipals, for example, thrived; others struggled. Where local school sites participated actively with the policy-making process that produced these arrangements, the alternative seemed viable. Where alternatives were imposed without school input, implementation floundered. The findings analyze the origins of the reform, school site roles, costs and benefits, the role of the district, and the long-term stability of the approach. Implications: In this article, we describe the experiences of 10 schools that have experimented with alternative arrangements for school site leadership. These experiences offer schools, districts, school boards, and researchers a series of questions to consider as they contemplate reforming the principalship itself rather than (or in addition to) preparing and searching for competent principals. (Contains 1 table and 12 notes.)
Abstractor: Author
Number of References: 60
Entry Date: 2006
Accession Number: EJ742544
Database: ERIC
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  Data: A Job Too Big for One: Multiple Principals and Other Nontraditional Approaches to School Leadership
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Educational+Administration+Quarterly%22"><i>Educational Administration Quarterly</i></searchLink>. Oct 2006 42(4):518-550.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
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  Data: 10.1177/0013161X06290641
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Background: Current federal, state, and local school accountability measures as well as policy initiatives that call for improved leadership have placed increasing demands on principals. Many districts face shortages of appropriate candidates for the job; popularly, this shortage is explained by the fact that simply too few hero-principals exist for all openings available, particularly in high-needs districts. An alternative to finding the perfect--and rare--candidate for an increasingly untenable position is to restructure the job itself. Purpose: This article examines 10 schools that have adopted alternative structures: schools with two principals, three principals, and rotating principals and a school with the principal's duties distributed among teachers. These 10 sites provide examples of alternative ways of organizing school leadership with varying benefits and challenges. Research Methods: Data collection at the 10 schools included site visits conducted by a team of researchers, interviews with principals, teacher leaders, and district supervisors. Observational and interview protocols were adapted from the Northwestern University Distributed Leadership Study. These protocols focus on uncovering not only how school site leaders explain their decisions but also on providing evidence of what those decisions are. Interview and observational data were organized into thematic codes to permit cross-case comparison. Findings: We observed the idiosyncratic ways in which schools and districts approached the policy dilemmas associated with attempts to change the default administrative structure of principal and assistant principal. Some schools with coprincipals, for example, thrived; others struggled. Where local school sites participated actively with the policy-making process that produced these arrangements, the alternative seemed viable. Where alternatives were imposed without school input, implementation floundered. The findings analyze the origins of the reform, school site roles, costs and benefits, the role of the district, and the long-term stability of the approach. Implications: In this article, we describe the experiences of 10 schools that have experimented with alternative arrangements for school site leadership. These experiences offer schools, districts, school boards, and researchers a series of questions to consider as they contemplate reforming the principalship itself rather than (or in addition to) preparing and searching for competent principals. (Contains 1 table and 12 notes.)
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        Value: 10.1177/0013161X06290641
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Accountability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Principals
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Improvement
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      – SubjectFull: School Administration
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      – SubjectFull: Leadership
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      – TitleFull: A Job Too Big for One: Multiple Principals and Other Nontraditional Approaches to School Leadership
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