Since No Child Left Behind was enacted in 2001, and states were mandated to provide annual standardized testing, teachers and principals have felt the pressure of making sure students meet state standards every year. While teachers are responsible for their classes, principals are judged on the entire school's results. According to an annual survey on school leadership by MetLife, recent acceptance by most states of the new, rigorous Common Core Standards pressures principals to upgrade their schools' performance even more.
While principals are charged with increasing achievement, they must do so with less money. Not only are new rules and standards implemented without additional funding to back them up, but funding has been decreasing every year. School districts nationwide are forced to cut programs and staffing just to meet their current, reduced budgets. No funds remain to provide supplies or additional instruction for the new programs they are forced to implement. Principals feel the pinch most acutely when they see at-risk students who need additional help but the school can't afford the resources to provide that help.
Principals are frustrated that many parents thwart the school's efforts to help their children succeed. Complaints range from uninvolved parents to those who make excuses for their child. Some parents, in trying to make ends meet, feel they have no time left to make school a priority and leave all educational matters up to the school. Other parents don't value education and have an adversarial relationship with their school. By the time the principal becomes involved in the problem, the teacher has already tried to work with parents and their partnership has been broken. It's up to the principal to try to mend the rift and bring them back together, which is not always possible.
Principals express frustration as well with teachers who are rigid in their thinking, regarding both children and change. Some teachers need to be reminded that children are young and still learning what's expected of them. Many teachers are reluctant to embrace any changes, whether small ones implemented by the principal or curriculum changes that stem from state and federal mandates. While principals say they have ample authority to make hiring decisions, only 43 percent feel they have the authority to move a teacher or terminate a teacher's contract.
Principals report that their jobs have become increasingly more complex, even when compared with the job just five years ago. In the MetLife study, 75 percent of principals -- regardless of their school's demographics or performance -- say their jobs are now too complex. Regulations and mandates have increased their paperwork and administrative burdens. They are being held more accountable and given less control. About half of principals report feeling stressed several days a week or more, which is higher than the national average for all jobs. Only 59 percent report being satisfied with their jobs, the lowest number since 2001. One-third are considering leaving their jobs.