Attraction

School Management - Policy Lever

Essence

This policy lever measures whether the right candidates are being attracted to the profession of school principals. The questions capture the provision of benefits to attract and maintain the best people to serve as principals, as well as the level of satisfaction that principals experience with their jobs and within their community.

Indicator

A score ranging from 1 to 5, calculated based on 3 policy questions. Responses are scored according to a rubric that considers the factors that increase the attractiveness of the principal profession. Two scores are reported: one for de jure policy existence and one for de facto policy implementation.

Background

Being an effective school leader requires of specific skills. The principal must go beyond the tasks of a teacher and show the vision and leadership necessary for the inputs, infrastructure, teachers, and the students to come together and create an effective learning system. These challenges require attracting the right candidates for principal positions. The role of the school principal must be clear and respected, and principals should be properly compensated, so that talented candidates are drawn to the profession.

Policy Survey
School Survey

Instrument Used for Measurement

  • Survey of Public Officials
  • Existing Data Source
  • Policy Survey
  • School Survey

Measurement Approach

There are three questions that make up this indicator. They are part of the School Management module of the School Survey and the Policy Survey. Together, they get a sense of the recognition of the profession as well as the benefits associated with being a principal. The questions include:

(de jure) Do the national policies governing the education system portray the position of principal or head teacher as professionalized and distinct figure within schools?

(de facto) What is the average public-school principal salary? (salary will be expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita)

(de facto) How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your social status in the community?

Instrument Sources

Newly developed, but inspired by Mulkeen 2007

Systems Approach for Better Education Outcomes – Service Delivery (SABER-SD)