Job Descriptions and the Recruitment of Female Assistant Principals

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Last Modified
  • March 19, 2019
Creator
  • Seawell, Heather
    • Affiliation: School of Education
Abstract
  • Nationwide school districts are facing challenges with filling administrative vacancies in public schools. Teachers are not willing to transition to administration and assume the increased responsibilities and demands placed upon school principals in today’s high-stakes educational environment. Moreover, policies fail to address the shortage of women in educational leadership or deconstruct the gender issues related to recruitment. This mixed methods study employed critical choice theory and business recruitment models to investigate how hypothetical job descriptions impacted the recruitment of women into assistant principal positions. Previous empirical research and literature from business and educational sectors provided the framework for the design of this study. Certified teachers from one rural school district in North Carolina volunteered for this investigation. All participants completed a demographic survey and a recruitment simulation to assess applicant attraction to hypothetical job descriptions based on the attributes of school management or collaborative leadership. Additionally, female teacher leaders participated in ethnographic interviews to further explore their perception of assistant principal job descriptions. The major findings in this study indicated a teacher’s age and years of teaching experience were the most significant factors that influenced a teacher’s willingness to pursue an assistant principal position. Further, the research denoted gender and the job attribute of collaborative leadership impacted the attraction to an assistant principal job description. These findings revealed potential implications for future research in regards to hiring practices, recruitment policies, and future studies related to the assistant principal position. With a limited resource of qualified personnel, school systems are encouraged to examine their guidelines and procedures for recruiting and hiring personnel and to develop and implement job descriptions that are appealing to applicants.
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Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Marshall, Catherine
  • Wynn, Susan
  • Veitch, James
Degree
  • Doctor of Education
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education
Graduation year
  • 2015
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  • Chapel Hill, NC
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  • There are no restrictions to this item.
Date uploaded
  • July 21, 2015

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