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Principal turnover and student achievement

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  • Miller, Ashley

Abstract

Principals have important management roles, including responsibilities for teachers, curricula and budgets. Schools change principals frequently; about 20% of public school principals in the United States leave their positions each year. Despite the significance of principals and the regularity of principal departures, little is known about how turnover affects schools. Using twelve years of administrative data from North Carolina public schools, this paper explores the relationship between principal turnover and student achievement. Principal departures follow a downturn in student performance. Achievement continues to fall in the two years following the installation of a new principal and then rises over the next three years. Five years after a new principal is installed, average academic performance is no different than it was five years before the new principal took over. Increases in student achievement following a principal transition may reflect mean reversion rather than a positive effect of principal turnover.

Suggested Citation

  • Miller, Ashley, 2013. "Principal turnover and student achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 60-72.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:36:y:2013:i:c:p:60-72
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.05.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth Dhuey & Justin Smith, 2018. "How school principals influence student learning," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 851-882, March.
    2. Gabrielle Wills, 2016. "Principal leadership changes in South Africa: Investigating their consequences for school performance," Working Papers 01/2016, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    3. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    4. Julie Berry Cullen & Eric A. Hanushek & Gregory Phelan & Steven G. Rivkin, 2024. "Performance Information and Personnel Decisions in the Public Sector: The Case of School Principals," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(1), pages 109-140.
    5. Derek Laing & Steven G. Rivkin & Jeffrey C. Schiman & Jason Ward, 2016. "Decentralized Governance and the Quality of School Leadership," NBER Working Papers 22061, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Wills, Gabrielle, 2016. "Principal leadership changes and their consequences for school performance in South Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 108-124.
    7. Tavares, Priscilla Albuquerque, 2015. "The impact of school management practices on educational performance: Evidence from public schools in São Paulo," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-15.
    8. Elias Walsh & Dallas Dotter, "undated". "The Impact of Replacing Principals on Student Achievement in DC Public Schools," Mathematica Policy Research Reports c84ecd86d13e4c82922c246d4, Mathematica Policy Research.
    9. Jason A. Grissom & Brendan Bartanen, 2019. "Principal Effectiveness and Principal Turnover," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 355-382, Summer.
    10. Bruna Borges & Gabriel Leite & Ricardo Madeira & Luis Meloni, 2024. "Evaluating the impact of a principals’ professional development program on school management practices: Evidence from Brazil," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2024_03, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    11. Ignacio Tavares De Araujo Junior & Alessio Tony C. Almeida & Hilton M. B. Ramalho, 2018. "Managerial Effort Under Asymmetric Information: The Case Of Public Schools In Brazil," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 127, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    12. Elias Walsh & Dallas Dotter, 2020. "The Impact on Student Achievement of Replacing Principals in District of Columbia Public Schools," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 15(3), pages 518-542, Summer.
    13. Romero, Mauricio & Bedoya, Juan & Yanez-Pagans, Monica & Silveyra, Marcela & de Hoyos, Rafael, 2022. "Direct vs indirect management training: Experimental evidence from schools in Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    14. Gabrielle Wills, 2015. "A profile of the labour market for school principals in South Africa: Evidence to inform policy," Working Papers 12/2015, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Student achievement; School leadership; Managerial turnover;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs

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