April 2017
Superintendents’ Research Brief
Whether and when do teachers who hold
principal certification transition into the principalship?
Prepared by Dr. Rachel Holler
“We concur with recent literature that has called for an increased role of school districts in
both ‘tapping’ potential leadership talent (Myung, Loeb, & Horng, 2011) and, importantly
given our findings here, providing structured and purposeful training and professional
development for administratively certified teachers to bolster the principal pipeline” (p. 232).1
Principals have a significant influence on student achievement, second only to the influence of
classroom teachers. While many research studies have focused on different aspects of the
principalship for those who hold the position, much less is known about the pathway to the
principalship and factors related to teachers’ transition into these important positions.
Davis, Gooden, and Bowers (2017) used data obtained from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) to answer their two
research questions:
Research Question 1: Whether and when do classroom teachers with principal certification
transition into the principalship?
Research Question 2: To what extent do an individual’s race/ethnicity, gender, and
combination of race/ethnicity and gender – among other characteristics – contribute to their
likelihood of making this transition? (p. 208).
The study is “one of the most extensive examinations of leadership career paths” (p. 216) in research
literature to date, as the researchers tracked administratively certified teachers in Texas over a 17year period. The researchers found that a larger proportion of White males entered the principalship,
while Black females are underrepresented. In addition, the transition from teaching to the
principalship continues to be a “rare event” (p. 224). Building on a previous study by Bastian and
Henry (2015) finding that “5.12 years pass between the time that North Carolina teachers complete
their principal preparation program and the time that they first assume the principalship” (p. 213),
1For
more information and references, see the attached article: Davis, B. W., Gooden, M. A., &
Bowers, A. J. (2017). Pathways to the principalship: An event history analysis of the careers of
teachers with principal certification. American Educational Research Journal, 54, 207-240.
David, Gooden, and Bowers (2017) found that teachers are most likely to become a principal six
years after they obtain certification (p. 224). They also found that less than half (47%) of those
earning principal certification obtain employment as a principal within16 years.
The researchers discuss their findings and recommend that all aspiring leaders receive “equitable
opportunity to bring their abilities to the principalship” (p. 231). The Bucks IU has already been
responding to this need within Bucks County with our first cohort of the Leadership Development
Fellowship program this spring. This study confirms the need for these types of experiences for
teachers who have completed their principal certification. While the study focused on Texas, the lag
time between certification completion and assuming the principalship is something worthy of further
consideration, as the five- to six-year interlude provides the perfect time to provide additional supports
such as the cohort experience.