Turnover of compulsory school principals in Iceland from 1998 to 2020

Abstract

Turnover of principals is an issue of concern in many countries, including Iceland (Börkur Hansen, 2021). To a large extent, interest in turnover is based on research findings that show the importance of retaining school principals for sustaining good practices and student learning (Béteille et al., 2011; Hargreaves & Fink, 2006; Seashore-Louis et al., 2010). However, turnover of school principals is not extensively researched, with the main accessible studies coming from the US and some from Sweden (Rangel, 2018; Thelin, 2020). According to Rangel (2018), the main concepts used in these studies are “stayers”, “movers”, “mobility” and “stability”. Sigurbjörg Róbertsdóttir et al. (2019) state that the role of compulsory school principals in Iceland is rapidly changing, primarily due to the addition of new tasks to their roles and increased pressure for academic achievement. They claim that this development has led to decreased job satisfaction, increased stress, and fewer applications for vacant positions of compulsory school principals. Kaplan & Owings (2015) paint a similar picture of the situation in the US, where demands on principals have become unrealistic, resulting in high turnover and fewer people applying for the job. Pritchard (2019) reports that 25% of school principals in the US quit their job every year, and around 50% of new principals quit after three years.

Seashore-Louis et al. (2010) argue that poorly planned exchanges of principals can have a negative impact on student learning. They highlight that successful work may be disrupted when new people take over and the replacement has been inadequately planned. The findings of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) point in the same direction (Moos et al., 2011). Hargreaves & Fink (2006) agree and focus on the importance of ensuring that the leadership of principals does not weaken or disappear when a new person is hired. Lee (2015) further emphasizes that succession planning for principals should not be left to chance.

Considering the above, a study was conducted to explore the retention of principals in all compulsory schools in Iceland during a 23-year period. Data obtained from Statistics Iceland was available for the period 1998 to 2020. The study focused on investigating the extent to which principals transferred between schools, as well as differences based on gender, school size and geographical area. The study also examined the duration of the principals’ stay in each school and the total time they spent as principals in compulsory schools. The study looked for a pattern in their transfers, for example, whether they transferred to larger schools from smaller schools or from rural to more urban areas.

The main finding of this study is that there was considerable stability amongst compulsory school principals in Iceland from 1998 to 2020. The majority, 78%, stayed in the same school for an extended period, 5.01 years on average, but over one-fourth of them stayed for only one year. If those principals are excluded, the average is 6.47 years. About onefifth of the group, or 22%, had moved between schools, where 17% had worked as principals in two schools and 5% in more than two schools. On average, principals had worked in 1.28 schools for 6.2 years. Men tended to stay slightly longer in the same school than women. Stability amongst principals was considerably greater in large schools than in smaller schools, resulting in less stability in rural areas where most of the smaller schools are located. The mobility between schools was primarily between schools in the same geographical area.

The findings indicate that the turnover rate of principals in Iceland is considerably lower than in the US where a large percentage leaves during the first years on the job (Pritchard, 2019). The situation in Iceland, on the other hand, resembles that of Sweden. Thelin (2020) says that her study on the turnover of school principals between municipalities in Sweden from 1980 to 2017 reveals an average tenure of about seven years in each municipality, with infrequent transfers between schools. Additionally, Thelin notes that principals in rural areas changed schools more frequently compared to metropolitan and urban areas.