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A profile of elementary and secondary school principals in Canada: First results from the 2004-2005 Survey of PrincipalsPatric Blouin Principals' perceptions of the match between the actual and the ideal level of responsibility for selected tasks Job satisfaction Principals' perceptions of problems occurring in schools Conclusion The school systems of Canada's ten provinces and three territories are large and complex. In the 2004-2005 school year, there were approximately 15,200 elementary and secondary schools in Canada, each headed by a school principal. Principals have responsibility for a wide variety of tasks. These include acting in a leadership role for teaching staff, participating in the implementation of changes to the curriculum, engaging in professional development activities, counselling and disciplining students, and talking with parents. Principals also have administrative duties, including, for example, responsibility for hiring teachers, managing the school budget, and responding to school board initiatives.This article draws on the Survey of Principals (SOP) which was conducted by Statistics Canada during the 2004-2005 school year. It provides an overview of the characteristics of school principals in Canada, their perceptions of the match between the actual and the ideal level of responsibility they have for various tasks, their job satisfaction, and their perceptions of the extent to which the proper functioning of their schools is affected by problems within the school. The SOP is part of a research project sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). It was developed in partnership with a team of researchers from the Faculties of Education at the Université de Montréal, University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University and Université de Sherbrooke.Characteristics of school principalsDuring the 2004-2005 school year, about 8,000 men and 7,000 women were principals at elementary and secondary schools in Canada. Males accounted for a significantly larger percentage of school principals in the territories (81%) compared to the rest of Canada.While women accounted for close to half (47%) of principals overall, there were marked differences by school level. At the elementary level, female principals accounted for 53% of principals; however, the majority of principals of secondary schools were male (68%). Typically, principals begin their careers as teachers, becoming principals once they have gained classroom experience and taken further training. As a result, principals tend to be older than the average for the labour force as a whole. Indeed, 57% of principals were 50 years of age or over in 2004-2005, compared to 32% of managers in the labour force as a whole; similarly, 12% of principals were between 20 and 39 years old compared to 33% of managers overall.Principals are well educated. Close to six out of ten principals held either a master's degree or a doctorate. Again, differences are apparent by school level, with 66% of principals of secondary schools holding either a master's degree or a doctorate compared to 57% of elementary school principals. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of principals had studied either education or school/educational administration when they were in school. As noted earlier, principals have a variety of regular duties and for many, those duties include teaching. This was especially the case for younger principals (ages 20 to 39), close to half of whom reported having teaching responsibilities. This compares to 29% of principals between the ages of 50 and 59. Close to 60% of principals of small schools (fewer than 200 students) had teaching as part of their regular duties; this was the case for only 11% of principals of large schools (400 students or more). The proportion of principals with teaching responsibilities was highest in the Prairie provinces (42%).Principals' perceptions of the match between the actual and the ideal level of responsibility for selected tasksThe Survey of Principals listed a number of tasks for which principals might be responsible, asking them to indicate what level of responsibility they had for each task and what, from their perspective, would be the ideal level of responsibility. Measurement of the extent of the match between the current and the ideal level of responsibility was calculated by subtracting the score on the 'ideally' scale from the score on the 'presently' scale. Principals were asked to report their current level of responsibility for a range of tasks and whether they wished to have a higher or lower level of responsibility for those tasks, based on the following four categories:
Tasks for which the vast majority of principals reported a good match between the actual and the ideal level of responsibility include development of the school's rules (92%), assignment of students to classes or to educational programs in the school (90%), and the development of the school's mission, direction, development or success plan (88%). Overall, relatively large percentages of principals reported wanting more responsibility for the selection and recruitment of staff. This applied to the recruitment of professional staff (56%), technical staff (48%) and teachers (42%) (Table 1).In contrast, about one third of principals wanted less responsibility for the acquisition of private funds. About one in four principals wanted less responsibility of a variety of other tasks, such as the collection, processing and analysis of school data and statistics, management of the school's material resources, reporting to appropriate authorities for accountability, the resolution of conflicts between the school and families over values, and the educational and administrative training of parent members of the school's governing body. Job satisfactionPrincipals were asked to report their level of satisfaction with different aspects of their jobs. Almost 90% of them stated that they were either somewhat or very satisfied with their professional development (Chart 1). Relatively high percentages were also either somewhat or very satisfied with the support they received from their supervisors (84%), their accountability (82%) and their professional autonomy (81%).While principals were generally satisfied with many aspects of their jobs, workload issues are apparent. Overall, only 37% of principals were either somewhat or very satisfied with the impact of their job on their family life and slightly less than half (47%) were somewhat or very satisfied with their workload. Principals' satisfaction with various aspects of their jobs varied across regions. For example, compared to the national average, a higher proportion of principals in British Columbia were satisfied with their level of remuneration, the acknowledgement of their occupation and their accountability. Satisfaction with their remuneration was also high among principals in the territories, while satisfaction with their workload was highest among principals in the Prairie provinces and the territories. Table 2 provides more detail on the regional variation in principals' job satisfaction.Chart 1: Percentage of principals who reported being satisfied/very satisfied with various aspects of their jobs, Canada and regions, 2004-2005 Source: Table 2 Principals' perceptions of problems occurring in schoolsAn orderly and safe environment is essential for conducting effective instructional and learning activities in schools. In such environments, both teachers and students are better able to concentrate on learning activities. The SOP asked principals to rate the extent to which they perceived that various problems hindered the proper functioning of their schools (to a great extent, to a certain extent, to a little extent and not at all).We note that other surveys have asked school principals to report on their perceptions of various components of school climate. The 2000 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) consisted of several components. One of those was a direct assessment of students' skills though testing. Students also completed a questionnaire focussing on factors contributing to student achievement, while principals were asked to provide information about the characteristics of participating schools. PISA found that stronger student proficiency in reading was associated with principals' reports of positive teacher-student relations and of better student behaviour; it was also associated with students' reports of more positive teacher-student relations and of more positive classroom disciplinary climates.1The PISA report cautions that variables representing principal and student perceptions of school characteristics are not objective measures of those characteristics. As a result, evidence based on perceptions of school characteristics should be interpreted with care, since school infrastructures, personal sensitivities and tolerance levels may vary across countries or regions.2 With this caveat in mind, the SOP findings with respect to principals' perceptions of the extent to which selected problems existed in their schools can be summarized as follows.Nearly half of all principals reported (either to a great extent or to a certain extent) that the deterioration of the socio-economic status of students' families and conflicts among students affected the proper functioning of their school; problems with bullying were cited by 44% of school principals. Slightly more than one third of principals reported that student disrespect for teachers and student absenteeism caused problems in the schools. In addition, nearly one third of them cited problems with students disrupting classes and with student tardiness and apathy.Much smaller proportions of principals (about 10%) reported that racism/racial conflicts among students, sexism/sexual harassment among students or students dropping out had an impact on their school. Regional differences in principals' perceptions of problems in their schools are apparent in the SOP results. Compared to the national average, proportionately more principals in Quebec and the territories reported problems with students dropping out, a deterioration in the socio-economic status of students' families, student apathy and teacher turnover (Table 3). In addition, a higher proportion of principals in Quebec reported problems with conflicts among students, student disrespect for teachers, verbal or physical assault of a staff member by a student, teacher absenteeism, and complaints from parents and students.Higher proportions of principals in Quebec and Ontario also reported problems with bullying. In the territories, principals noted problems with student consumption of alcohol or drugs, student absenteeism, disruption of classes by students and student tardiness. In contrast, compared to the national average, lower proportions of principals in British Columbia and the Prairies reported problems with conflicts among students, bullying, and student disrespect for teachers. Principals in British Columbia also reported fewer problems with verbal abuse or physical assault of a staff member by a student, disruption of classes by students, student apathy, sexism/sexual harassment among students and complaints from parents and students. The percentage of principals reporting problems with students dropping out of school was lower than the national average in the Atlantic region, Ontario and British Columbia.The SOP results with respect to regional differences in principals' perceptions of problems with students dropping out of school are consistent with findings reported recently by Bowlby (2005). Bowlby observes that "With drop-out rates falling as they have in Atlantic Canada, there now appears to be two groups of provinces - the first consisting of Atlantic Canada, Ontario and British Columbia, with relatively low drop-out rates, and the second, made up of Quebec and the Prairie provinces, with rates that have averaged above10% over the last three years (although also declining)."3 ConclusionThe 2004-2005 Survey of Principals provides an overview of the characteristics of principals across Canada, their perceptions of the match between the actual and the ideal level of responsibility they have for various tasks, the level of satisfaction they have with various aspects of their jobs and their perceptions of the extent to which the proper functioning of their schools is affected by problems within the school.Principals have a wide range of responsibilities and duties. They provide leadership for teaching staff, are the chief administrators of the school, have responsibility for student discipline, and ultimately are responsible for the nature of the school's relations with parents and with the wider community. At the same time, fulfilling these responsibilities has implications for workload and for work-family balance. Despite expressing satisfaction with many aspects of their jobs, only a minority of school principals were satisfied with the impact of their duties and responsibilities on their family life and slightly less than half were satisfied with their workload. Finally, we note the concerns that some principals expressed regarding various aspects of school climate. Further research is needed to identify the factors that shape the conditions in a school which provide a positive, healthy and safe environment for students and staff and that promote successful personal and learning outcomes.Notes
* Numbers marked with this symbol have a coefficient of variation between 16.5% and 25% and are less reliable than unmarked numbers Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Principals, 2004-2005.
* Numbers marked with this symbol have a coefficient of variation between 16.5% and 25% and are less reliable than unmarked numbers. ** Numbers marked with this symbol have a coefficient of variation between 25% and 33.3% and are very unreliable. F Too unreliable to be published Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Principals, 2004-2005. |
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