Dive Brief:
- Roughly a third of Dallas' schools will have new principals this fall, part of a trend under outgoing district schools chief Mike Miles.
- The number of schools with a new principal hit 30% in his first year, 25% in his second, and is on track to hit 32% this year.
- Under his predecessor Michael Hinojosa, who will also act as interim superintendent this year, principal churn hit a low of just 12%.
Dive Insight:
Principal churn, which is common in urban districts, often spikes shortly after the appointment of a new superintendent, as it did under Miles. But that's not always true and his predecessor was the exception. Hinojosa saw dropping turnover rates beginning in his first year of leadership. He told the Dallas News that he took a methodical, collaborative approach to principal hiring to reduce turnover from bad school-principal matches.
Under Miles, observers said principals left or retired because they didn't like the district's direction, but also because of moves between campuses or promotions.
Principal turnover can have academic impacts on students, and rapid turnover can prevent longterm school improvement.