A 2006 Study of the Supply and Demand of Minnesota Public School Administrators

For the past decade, attention has been drawn to a perceived shortage of school leadership applicants. Establishing an accurate perception of the shortage issue, however, is complex. One challenge with the perception of the shortage is the connection made between quality and shortage. The interpreta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAASA journal of scholarship & practice Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 26 - 33
Main Authors Haar, Jean M, Robicheau, Jerry W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Association of School Administrators 2007
Subjects
Coordinators
Department Heads
Educational Policy
Employment Potential
Labor Supply
Minnesota
Misconceptions
Principals
Recruitment
School Administration
School Districts
Superintendents
Supply and Demand
Minnesota
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Summary:For the past decade, attention has been drawn to a perceived shortage of school leadership applicants. Establishing an accurate perception of the shortage issue, however, is complex. One challenge with the perception of the shortage is the connection made between quality and shortage. The interpretation of quality is often times determined by a local school board and tends to include unrealistic expectations of the candidates (i.e. an established political agenda, a changing student population, and the push for accountability). The shortage discussion has also been used to manufacture a crisis by "reformers, popular press and ideologues" to mislead "the public and policy makers with regard to the solutions." In Minnesota from 2004-2006, there were approximately 100 superintendent openings; thus one third of the school districts experienced a change in leadership at the superintendent level. What were the reasons for the number of openings? What effect did the superintendent changes have on central office and principal positions? Further, will this turnover continue, worsen, diminish or remain the same? Whether the shortage is perceived or real, the question remains: What is the future demand for school leaders? This article shares the results of a study regarding the potential number of future openings within school leadership positions in Minnesota. Empirical evidence regarding potential school leadership openings in Minnesota was last reported in 2000. Consequently, much of the discussion in Minnesota for the past six years has been based on perceptions of a shortage by local media, professional organizations and search firms. (Contains 8 tables.)
ISSN:1931-6569