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Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Department or Program Affiliation

Education Leadership

Degree Name

Doctorate of Education

Department

Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching

First Advisor

Bruce, Tim (Professor)

Second Advisor

Larsen, Donald

Third Advisor

Reyes, Susana (Professor of education)

Abstract

Abstract This qualitative study investigates the evolving and increasingly unsustainable role of school principals in the post-pandemic educational landscape. Using a multiple case study design, the research explores how the expectations placed on principals by superintendents, the education system, and the broader community have increased in complexity and scope. Through semi-structured interviews with superintendents and principals from districts of varying sizes in western Washington, and a representative from the Association of Washington School Principals, the study captures perspectives on the sources of these expectations, the perceived and actual responsibilities of principals, and the supports needed to sustain their effectiveness.

Thematic analysis reveals that the role of principals has undergone a long-term process of “layering,” wherein responsibilities have been continuously added with little structural or systemic adjustment. Increasing post-COVID demands, including demands for mental health support, social-emotional learning, and community-based health services, have compounded principals’ workload, leading to an increase in burnout, turnover, and diminished job satisfaction. The study found a common understanding of what principals should be spending their effort on between principals and supervisors, and also a shared concern that the scope of the job is too broad.

Findings suggest that redefining the principalship with clearer boundaries, building teams of support around principals, and promoting peer-to-peer collaborations could improve conditions for principals. The study calls for systemic change in how education leadership is structured and supported, particularly in light of the principal’s central role in student outcomes. Recommendations are made to recalibrate expectations and invest in support systems that preserve principals’ capacity to lead instructional improvement and maintain school stability.

Type

Text

Keywords

Education leadership, principal retention, principal burnout, education post-COVID-19, principal effectiveness

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1520128581

Subject – LCSH

School principals--Job satisfaction--Washington (State); School principals--Job stress--Washington (State); School principals--Workload--Washington (State); Principal-superintendent relationships--Washington (State); School management and organization--Washington (State); Educational leadership--Washington (State); Educational change--Washington (State); COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023--Washington (State)--Influence

Geographic Coverage

Washington (State)

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

doctoral dissertations

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

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