Authors: Marcus A. Winters, Brian Kisida, and Ikhee Cho
Published in Education Finance & Policy (March 2023) ↗
Project Summary
This study explores whether principal transitions are inherently disruptive or if the impact of changing principals depends on the context surrounding the outgoing or incoming principal—namely, whether the new principal was hired externally or promoted from within a school.
Key Findings
We find that transitions to both internal and external hires negatively impact student performance. Externally hired principals also lead to an increase in teacher turnover and a decline in perceptions of the school’s learning environment, whereas transitions to an internally promoted principal have no such effects.
Policy Implications and Recommendations
Winters, Kisida, Cho’s results demonstrate that principal transitions are disruptive to student learning and that reducing principal mobility in general is a valuable policy goal. Further, the pattern of our results suggests a need for further research to more completely understand the nature of principal impacts on school quality and the connection to student outcomes.
