0.2 Beach, g., & Keiser, k. (october 2011). to be or not to be..  (Page 2/10)

Choosing to lead—disincentives and incentives

Numerous disincentives and incentives affecting the decision of seeking a position as a school assistant principal or principal have been identified in both the academic literature and the media (Cranston, 2007). Incentives may be defined as those perceived positive conditions associated with the job of the principal/assistant principal, and disincentives are perceived as negative. Incentives motivate an individual to pursue a particular course of action. If that individual has aspirations of pursuing a building principalship, identifying the motivators may establish a framework from which to confirm a decision.

The perception among potential principal candidates is that one must be a “superman” to meet all the expectations of the position (Eckman, 2004). Many disincentives could be classified as existence factors of physiological and physical motivators. Some of these more visible involve time and money.

While principals earn $10,000 to $25,000 more each year in annual salary (than teachers), they work between 20 and 40 more days per year than teachers. Perhaps more important, their days are often 10-12 hours long, starting between 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. and going into the evening with activities and events. Many would-be administrators, particularly those raising children, look at the time required and decide not to apply (Cusick, 2003, p. 2).

In addition, the profession is growing significantly more complex and constraining and is a source of considerable stress. There are high demands for public accountability and conflict management. Increased job demands include greater accountability on the part of the principals for student achievement (Harris, 2007; Winter&Morgenthal, 2002). Even more troubling may be the physically and psychologically draining effects of trying to address multiple contradictory expectations with limited resources (Hinton&Kastner, 2000; Howley, Andrianaivo,&Perry, 2005).

Another significant factor affecting the decision to apply or not apply for a building-level principalship is that while principals put stress on teachers to improve outcomes, teachers often do not lose their jobs over low accountability ratings – principals do (Hill&Banta, 2008). There is no tenure associated with a principalship. An individual would lose tenure as a teacher if seeking the position within the same school.

The changing nature of school administration – in terms of professional status, complexity of tasks, time demands, and accountability for results – can impact personal and professional relatedness motivators (Winter&Morgenthal, 2002). Family life may suffer from the demands of the position. There is a perception that hiring practices tend to privilege certain individuals over others on the basis of their gender or ethnic identity. There can be decreased motivation resulting from bureaucracy, excessive paperwork, and constant change (Cranston, 2007). Often, this is compounded by increased difficulty in satisfying the demands of parents and the community, and the sense of isolation from and conflict with different educational constituents impacts the attractiveness of leadership (Howley, Andrianaivo,&Perry, 2005).