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April 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 7
The Principalship

John F. Eller and Sheila A. Eller

Ricardo, a high school principal, sensed that a certain teacher was spreading a negative view of an initiative he was promoting, while withholding comment or even expressing support to his face. When Ricardo found evidence-overhearing Gloria complain about the initiative and make untrue statements to a group in the hallway-he knew he had a serious problem. An underminer was at work.

School leaders face many challenges in implementing change. Chief among these challenges is preserving a positive climate when one or several teachers are resistant or difficult. For a school to move forward, the leader must attend to day-to-day school climate and school culture. A teacher who resists change-sometimes covertly-or who is just plain hard to work with can inject negativity into that culture. A few such teachers can derail change.

In schools we've led and in our work supporting principals, we've identified strategies anyone can use to deal with difficult and resistant staff members while maintaining a healthy school climate. We have seen eight major types of difficult staff members in action. Each type presents its own threat to school climate and culture. Leaders need to swiftly identify any teachers they work with who fit one of these patterns and deal with accompanying negative behaviors. Here we focus on two types: underminers and on-the-job retirees.

The Underminer: Toxic to Climate and Reform

An underminer works behind the scenes to weaken your leadership by fabricating or exaggerating negative aspects about you or the change you are implementing. Other teachers, especially those lacking a clear understanding of the issue or the strength to resist, may be easily convinced to join the negative conversation. A group of covert resisters may develop. The situation can quickly get out of control. Whether other teachers alert you or you notice signs that a staff member is an underminer, act quickly to minimize the damage. Covert agitating can poison school climate and make reform impossible.

Like Gloria, an underminer may agree with you in person but work to derail your goals in private. When you confront a covert complainer, he or she will often deny any negative feelings or actions. But if the underminer senses a critical mass of support, he or she may be very open about opposing you.

Underminers may actively work to slow or stop a change or intervention, such as by complaining to school board members, recruiting others to resist or complain, or half-heartedly implementing the change and then saying "I told you this wouldn't work." This kind of difficult teacher can obviously lessen others' commitment to your change initiatives-or to you. An underminer can equally damage school climate and culture by

Encouraging staff members to form factions based on their support-or lack of support-for your leadership.

Turning cognitive conflict (productive debates related to substance) into affective conflict (negative debates related to personalities). Affective conflict is destructive to a sound school culture.

Confronting others, putting them on the defensive, and turning the workplace into a hostile environment.

Confront, Listen, and Create a Plan

When you realize a teacher is undermining you, meet privately with the underminer to openly discuss this behavior and find out what the teacher's issues are. We recommend developing a script for what you will say in the meeting; a script will keep you on track and better able to deal with the emotions that may come up. If a group has coalesced, you'll need to decide whether to meet with just the "leader" or with all the underminers. If the group seems to gain power in numbers, divide and conquer. On the other hand, if you think the first one you talk with will warn (and possibly energize) the others, meet with all the grumblers at once.

Ricardo, for example, asked to meet with Gloria to discuss what he'd learned.

R icardo: Thank you for meeting with me today, Gloria. I want to use this time to talk through an issue that's come to my attention. Several staff members have told me that you're upset about the PLC meetings we are holding. If you have concerns, I want you to share them with me rather than others.

G loria: I haven't been talking behind your back. If I had concerns, I'd share them with you.

R icardo: Please level with me, Gloria. I've heard this from several other staff members. You mean to tell me these people made this up? If you've been expressing frustration with the process, just let me know so we can address it and move on.

G loria: OK, I guess I did tell a few people I was frustrated with the PLC structure. I didn't want to tell you directly because I thought you might get mad at me.

R icardo: I need to know your concerns so I can do something about it. If you don't tell me, how can I do anything? What are your concerns?

G loria: Well, I don't think the PLC project is going well. Nobody seems to know what to do or why we're meeting.

R icardo: So you don't think the other staff members are well informed?

G loria: It doesn't seem like it from my perspective.

R icardo: OK. What other concerns do you have?

G loria: Some PLC groups aren't working as hard as others. Some groups are wasting their time and talking about other topics. I think you should be doing something about this.

R icardo: Thank you for sharing this with me. So you think I should be catching these unproductive PLC teams in the act?

G loria: Yes. I think it would be good if you followed up on this.

R icardo: Thank you for telling me. I can check into the situation.

As Gloria told Ricardo how she felt, he listened. He didn't try to justify or defend his ideas or actions but used reflective listening to ensure that he understood her perspective. Then he suggested they together come up with a plan for how Gloria would speak directly with Ricardo in the future if she had concerns with him or his ideas. Ricardo committed to periodically checking in with Gloria to assess how things were going-first weekly, and eventually monthly.

Additional Strategies

Not all underminers can be disarmed by respectful confrontation. The following actions may also help principals deal with teachers like Gloria:

Assess your leadership style to make sure you are providing positive, proactive ways for teachers to share concerns. Underminers may develop as a result of unnecessarily controlling, autocratic leadership, which gives few opportunities to positively resolve issues. Even if your style is more open, if you're new, teachers may go underground with their negativity because their past leader was autocratic.

Develop an open communication channel to ensure that any potential underminer informs you-rather than others-about his or her concerns, no matter how unpleasant or trivial.

Be open and receptive when faculty members share concerns with you. If you let people know you're really interested in listening to their complaints or worries and using their perspective to guide change, they'll be more willing to share with you. Use open-ended or probing questions to gain more details. Use reflecting skills to better understand the teacher's perspective.

Put in place positive processes to hear and evaluate your faculty's concerns as you implement any change or initiative. For example, you might regularly conduct a pro-con conversation among teachers, guiding them to identify the specifics of any new strategy you're considering, including what the school might need to do to overcome challenges the strategy will present. Put a "Concerns-Based Suggestion Box" in the teacher work room, or periodically meet with staff members individually to explore their ideas and concerns.

Set productive ground rules for staff behavior, such as allowing one party to complete his or her side of the story before you rebut; being ready to talk about both the positives and the challenges associated with new ideas; and keeping the discussion focused on the topic, not the person.

The On-the-Job Retiree

The on-the-job retiree is a true challenge. Because he or she is retiring at the end of the year, the on-the-job-retiree reasons, it's acceptable to coast for the remainder of the time. Such an attitude isn't restricted to senior staff members. We have worked with people in early- or mid-career stages who exhibit characteristics of on-the-job retirees. Behavior, rather than age, is the hallmark of these resisters. Look for the following characteristics:

The teacher openly states that he or she is leaving at the end of the year and has decided to "coast out" this time. The teacher may brag about the fact that nobody can make him or her do anything. You may notice that he or she is doing the bare minimum in daily work.

The educator shows a diminished level of motivation and work ethic. You may notice that you begin to feel negative or even slightly depressed as you interact with this teacher. People who have shut down can project negativity.

The teacher seeks the support and empathy of coworkers, as he or she tries to slack off, possibly striving to make others feel sorry for him or her.

On-the-job retirees have a negative effect on the day-to-day climate of a school and eventually will weaken its culture. Part of this damage can come from the model they provide for less experienced colleagues by setting the tone that it's OK for anyone to shut down in relation to their commitments at the school. This tone can be contagious.

A charismatic coaster can become a "cult figure" or gain prestige because he or she openly defies the organization. Some teachers may look up to the person and even reinforce these negative behaviors. Cliques may form around those who admire the premature retiree and those who don't. People may feel forced to take sides in relation to their actions and behaviors.

Appeal to Their "Legacy"

When you hear an employee has declared him- or herself "retired" before the end of the year, you'll need to respond quickly to this posture-and a frank conversation is often the first thing to try. For instance, Julie, an elementary principal at a school we'll call Barton Elementary, heard from key staff members that a teacher named Stan was planning to retire at the end of the year. Stan had also announced he wouldn't participate in the professional learning community (PLC) to which he'd been assigned. Julie considered the PLCs to be an important part of supporting Barton Elementary's teachers as they learned to implement student assessments. If Stan were allowed to opt out of these activities, it would send a message to others that the learning communities' work was not important.

Julie knew she had to address the situation quickly. She scheduled a meeting with Stan and took the bull by the horns:

J ulie: Stan, I've heard you're planning to retire at the end of this year. We'll miss you if that's the case. I've heard some talk that you're saying you plan to coast out the remainder of your time with us, and you're not even going to participate with your grade-level PLC. Is this true?

S tan: Yes. I've worked hard around here for years and I deserve a break.

J ulie: I agree-you have worked hard; you've contributed a lot to Barton and to our students. You've been a good leader. So why do you feel you don't want to contribute all you can in the year before you retire?

S tan: Well, I've seen plenty of other teachers here ease off on their responsibilities during their last year.

J ulie: What was your impression of people who did that?

S tan ( thinking): I guess I had a lower opinion of them because they shut down at the end of their careers.

J ulie: When a teacher leaves a school, that educator leaves a legacy behind. That legacy includes things like a reputation, what others think of you, what others remember after you're gone. Stan, I'd like you to think about the legacy you want to leave here after your retirement. And I'd like us to meet and talk about this again next week.

When Julie and Stan met again, Stan reported that he wanted to leave a positive legacy at Barton Elementary. Julie was ready to build on this answer. She said she was happy he'd reached this conclusion, and she pledged to keep him engaged in meaningful projects at Barton, including working with new staff and leading his learning community.

Julie knew Stan was a likeable, persuasive person who appreciated getting attention from leading others. She tailored his role with these traits in mind. Throughout the rest of the year, she met regularly with Stan to stay updated on his progress. As a result, Julie kept this teacher productive and engaged until he left.

Other Approaches

Not every teacher can be motivated by an appeal to his or her best self or future legacy. Here are other ways to deal with on-the-job retirees:

Give the employee an important task or job that uses his or her particular skills or passions. Or give the teacher a choice between several tasks.

Use peer pressure to engage the employee. Develop team projects that need everyone's effort or attend meetings of the professional learning community this educator belongs to and ask questions designed to get him or her involved.

Offer a trade-off; get the employee to agree to continue to engage with efforts toward reform in exchange for a reduction of some other responsibility that it may be fine to take a break from (such as bus duty). Add a responsibility that requires a similar time commitment but would interest the teacher more.

Develop a growth plan. Because the on-the-job retiree may feel that you, as a supervisor, cannot do anything to apply consequences, move cautiously as you develop this growth plan. Keep it focused on building up the positive aspects of the employee rather than making it a punitive, experience.

Pair the on-the-job retiree with a younger teacher, sharing with each what you want them to gain from the relationship. For example, tell a younger teacher that you want him to gain from the content knowledge of the more senior teacher, and tell the older teacher you want him to gain new presentation ideas from the younger one. Think through how to present the arrangement so no party feels negative about it.

Work with the employee to develop a private succession plan. If you help the on-the-job retiree feel like a valued leader whom you and the school will miss, you'll motivate the potential coaster to want to pass the torch.

Be careful to communicate that you care while helping the teacher stay responsible. Never say that you want the resister to resign (although deep down you might like this to happen). Making people feel pushed out sets the stage for an age-related discrimination lawsuit. Show that you want to help someone like Stan stay productive. Focus on supporting the teacher as long as she or he meets reasonable expectations.

Working with difficult and resistant staff members is unavoidable if you want to make long-lasting school changes. In the end, the labor it takes to successfully deal with resisters will pay off-in accomplishing your goals and attaining a positive working culture.

Endnotes

We consider school climate to be the day-to-day working atmosphere in a school; school culture is the permanent structures, beliefs, and practices that anchor that school.

The eight types of problematic teacher we discuss in our recent book Working with Difficult and Resistant Staff (Solution Tree, 2011) are underminers, on-the-job retirees, contrarians, challenged, resident experts, unelected representatives, recruiters, and whiners and complainers.

John F. Eller is professor of educational leadership at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sheila A. Eller is principal of Bel Air Elementary School in New Brighton, Minnesota.

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April 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 7 The Principalship John F. Eller and Sheila A. Eller Ricardo, a high school principal, sensed that a certain teacher was spreading a negative view of an initiative he was promoting, while withholding comment or even expressing support to his face.

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In my work through school and organization visits, I have been fascinated to see the correlation between the speed of change and an individual who is "leading" the charge. The schools that have someone (or a group of people) helping to push the boundaries of what can be done in schools seem to move a lot quicker with a larger amount of "buy-in" through the process.

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Challenges and opportunities facing new school leaders

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Challenges and opportunities facing new school leaders

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Abstract

First-year principals' decisions influence school performance and their own success as school leaders. RAND conducted a study to examine first-year principals' actions and working conditions, and how those factors relate to school achievement and principal retention. RAND found that principals' use of time did not affect key outcomes but that their ability to foster teacher capacity and cohesiveness did. The study found no single strategy for principal success but suggests that a principal's effectiveness as a manager of human capital is likely to contribute to improved school outcomes.

A school principal's role is a complex mix of leadership and administration, geared toward enabling and motivating school staff to provide the best possible opportunities for student growth and achievement. School principals face many challenges, especially in their first year at a school, when they must function effectively in a new environment and assimilate quickly to a new culture. Furthermore, the principal is usually expected to improve or at least maintain levels of student achievement. First-year principals' decisions and strategies are critically important and influence their schools' performance, their success as a school leader, and the likelihood that they will remain at that school. Because there is little research on this important part of principals' experience, RAND conducted a study to examine the actions and working conditions of first-year principals (those who are new to their school, regardless of prior experience as a principal), and how those factors relate to student achievement and principal retention.

RAND looked at the experiences of first-year principals in six districts: Memphis City Schools; Chicago Public Schools; New York City (NYC) Public Schools; Washington, DC, Public Schools; Baltimore City Public Schools; and the Oakland [California] Unified School District. Using district data, surveys, and case studies spanning the 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 school years, the researchers examined the relationships among student achievement, new principals' likelihood of remaining at their schools, and their reports regarding their practices, attitudes, and perceptions of school and district conditions. The RAND researchers found that while most new principals stayed at their schools, many left within the first year or two, and only a few factors could be identified that were clearly related to retention and success. They also found that outcomes achieved by first-year principals varied greatly but saw little evidence that the characteristics of a school, such as the demographics of the students or the school's prior achievement level, determined those outcomes.

More Than a Fifth of First-Year Principals Left Within Two Years

Many first-year principals left their schools after only one or two years on the job. Of the 519 first-year principals in the study, 11.8 percent left within the first year, and 10.7 percent left within the second year. There were substantial differences in principal retention rates across districts, with higher rates in New York and Chicago, and lower rates in Baltimore and Washington, DC. New principals were more likely to leave when test scores declined in their first year; however, the majority of principals whose schools experienced such declines remained in their schools for the duration of the study.

Schools That Lost a Principal After One Year Underperformed the Following Year

Of the 40 schools that experienced clear declines in test score gains in 2007-2008 under a first-year principal and then hired another principal for 2008-2009, only nine schools improved in the next year. Similarly, among the 11 schools that did not experience declines but lost their principal and got another principal in 2008-2009, seven of these schools experienced clear declines and only one experienced gains in the next year.

How Principals Focused Their Time Did Not Appear to Affect Key Outcomes

Principals who participated in case studies tended to name a few strategies, which they often called "big rocks," on which they focused their time and effort. Most common were promoting data use, conducting classroom observations, building culture and relationships within the school community, forming leadership teams, and promoting teacher professional development. However, the study did not reveal strong relationships between student achievement and principals' allocation of time. Instead, the quality of principals' actions seemed to affect outcomes more than how they spent their time, as reported by school staff in the case studies.

Greater Teacher Capacity and Cohesiveness Were Related to Better Student Outcomes

The study examined how principals' perceptions of school and district conditions were related to principal retention and student achievement but found few significant relationships. School conditions included degree of decisionmaking autonomy, parent support, teacher capacity, the degree of staff cohesiveness, and the level of pressure to raise test scores. District conditions included resources, consistency of district priorities, and quality of district-provided professional development. Two factors that stood out as being related to student outcomes were teacher capacity and cohesiveness: Principals reporting higher teacher capacity - such as skills to help other teachers improve and the ability to promote learning among all students - were more likely to see achievement gains, as were principals who reported that teachers and other staff worked collaboratively and took joint responsibility for students. Although the analysis cannot determine whether teacher capacity was high before the principal assumed leadership of the school, the case studies suggest that actions principals take in the first year can promote improved teacher capacity.

Principals' Skills as Human Capital Managers Are Important

The findings on the importance of teacher capacity, staff cohesion, and buy-in for key strategies suggest that a principal's effectiveness as a manager of human capital is an important contributor to the success of a principal's efforts to improve a school's achievement. The case study findings suggest several promising ways for new principals to foster buy-in for their key strategies and to develop cohesiveness, including the following:

Recruiting strong staff immediately

Conducting one-on-one meetings with all staff

Respecting prior practices and culture

Being visible in the classrooms

Communicating clear and fair expectations.

Efforts to help principals acquire the necessary skills to succeed in their roles as managers of human capital could have important implications for student achievement, especially in low-performing schools.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation research brief series. RAND research briefs present policy-oriented summaries of individual published, peer-reviewed documents or of a body of published work.

Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.

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Challenges and Opportunities Facing Principals in the First Year at a School

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First-year principals' decisions influence school performance and their own success as school leaders. RAND conducted a study to examine first-year principals' actions and working conditions, and how those factors relate to school achievement and principal retention. RAND found that principals' use of time did not affect key outcomes but that their ability to foster teacher capacity and cohesiveness did.

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The challenges of public school administrators in the Millenium

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The challenges of public school administrators in the Millenium

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10 issues impacting school administrators

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10 issues impacting school administrators

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Each of the thousands of school districts and millions of classrooms in the United States has its own unique set of challenges that reflect a wide diversity of students, teachers, resources and communities.

Yet each school system also confronts similar facilities and business issues that cut across differences in population, geography and wealth. Is there enough space for every student? Will there be enough teachers to guide them? Do the buildings enhance learning, or is inadequate design and deterioration hurting student performance?

Once you decide to start a list of these issues, it could go on at some length. With a bow to the decimal system, this article will stop at 10. These are among the top issues that continually crop up as challenges for schools to overcome or goals to achieve. These might not be the top priorities for every district, but at some point, most schools will have to decide how to address them.

1) Charter Schools

Since the first charter school was established less than 10 years ago, this reform movement has been embraced by hundreds of educators yearning for the freedom to try new strategies to help students learn.

In exchange for a commitment to meet or exceed a state's academic standards, charter schools are freed from many of the regulations that govern - and some would say, constrain - what schools can do. Charter schools can encourage innovative ways of teaching and give students more options to choose from.

Minnesota passed the first charter-school law in 1991. Now, 36 states and the District of Columbia have laws authorizing charter schools. According to the Center for Education Reform, more than 500,000 students are attending charter schools.

School districts can view charter schools two ways - as a means of exploring alternative education methods that might enhance learning for students, or as a distraction that drains needed resources from traditional schools.

Alleviating a school from regulations and traditional board oversight is inherently risky. In some cases, charter schools without the needed financial resources or management expertise have run into difficulties - a few have had to close.

But for now, the trend points to more charter schools. The Center for Education Reform says that of 53 research-based studies of charter schools, 50 have concluded that the schools "have been innovative and accountable, and have created both opportunities for the children that attend them and a `ripple' effect on traditional public schools within their jurisdiction."

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has issued its own report on charter schools that is less convinced of the movement's success in improving education. But the NSBA acknowledges the popularity of charters and encourages local boards to work with the schools to help them succeed.

It offers districts these recommendations:

- Look for situations in which education alternatives such as a charter school might be effective, like experimental programs for at-risk students.

- Strive for public schools and charter schools to cooperate and work toward common goals.

- A school board should charter only as many schools as it can monitor and support effectively.

2) Construction and Repair of Facilities

School districts have taken substantial steps in the 1990s to address their facilities needs. Yet, as buildings continue to age and modern classroom requirements continue to evolve, the extent of the problem remains immense. The average school building is more than 40 years old, and many classrooms are inadequate or obsolete.

Last year, the National Education Association estimated that public school systems nationwide would need $322 billion to repair and modernize facilities. A U.S. Department of Education report, "Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999," found that three-quarters of schools need to spend money on repairs, renovations and modernizations.

"If schools are unable to perform maintenance or construct new buildings when necessary," the report says, "facilities problems multiply, which can result not only in health and safety problems, but also in increased costs of repairs."

The way most districts have addressed their facility needs is to ask voters to support a bond proposal. Bolstered by a strong economy, schools have had greater success in recent years winning voter approval for construction projects.

3) Enrollment Boom

Since enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools bottomed out at 39.2 million students in 1984, it has risen each year. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 47 million students were enrolled this year in public elementary and secondary schools. Projections show that enrollment will peak in 2005 at 47,475,000.

That means that even if school districts had their facilities in good enough shape to accommodate current enrollment, they still would have to find ways to add classroom space for the growth that is expected.

In addition, many education reformers are advocating - and some states are mandating - smaller classroom enrollments, especially in the primary grades, to provide students with a more effective education. Districts that reduce the numbers of children in each classroom will have to compensate by having more classrooms available.

The federal government's Class Size Reduction Program is providing funds to districts to help them reduce their class sizes. For the 2000-2001 school year, districts are receiving $1.3 billion to recruit, hire and train new teachers.

4) Funding

School districts can identify their facility needs and devise creative solutions, but without money, educators can't transform those visions into reality.

To build grassroots support for construction and renovation projects, many districts are inviting all the stakeholders in their communities to take part in planning facility improvements. By including all parties in the planning process, school districts are more likely to have the support of the community at large when they are seeking funding approval at the ballot box.

Winning a bond issue has been difficult in jurisdictions, such as California, that require a supermajority for approval. Many districts in that state had won the support of a majority of voters for their bond issues, but could not muster the required two-thirds majority.

But in November, Californians voted to lower the threshold districts have to meet for a successful bond issue. Instead of needing a two-thirds majority, districts now need only a 55 percent majority.

In other cases, districts have had some success going to court to seek more equitable ways of gaining access to funds for construction and repairs. To avoid potentially onerous court rulings, state legislatures often step in with more funding.

5) Improving the Learning Environment

As more school districts are able to address their facilities needs, they are focusing not only on how much space their programs require, but also on what type of space.

Rather than building an uninspiring row of rectangular classrooms along a long corridor, many districts are choosing innovative school designs that complement the curriculum and enhance a student's learning opportunities.

"This pressing need to add, renovate or replace educational facilities presents an opportunity for citizens, educators and facilities planners to take a broader view of what constitutes an effective, appropriate learning environment," says the U.S. Department of Education's "Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen's Guide for Planning and Design."

C. Kenneth Tanner, a professor with the School Design and Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia in Athens, has compiled 29 aspects of school design that relate significantly to student achievement. They include everything from the types of roofs, windows and walls chosen to the placement of entrances, hallways and offices.

Many of the aspects relate to offering students a variety of spaces to stimulate learning: instructional neighborhoods within schools, green areas, activity pockets for small-group work, quiet areas, outdoor spaces, places for a student to display personal items, spaces set aside for computers and other technology.

To view all 29 school design aspects, visit www.coe.uga.edu/sdpl/research/principlesofdesign.html.

6) Security and Safety

After the spate of school shootings in the late 1990s that culminated with the tragic slayings at Columbine High School in Colorado, school administrators have moved security to the top of their priority list.

Many schools have responded with more programs to detect potential problems before they reach such a dangerous level, and others have re-examined their buildings and campuses to see if more equipment or other changes can help students and staff be more secure.

Congress has enacted federal laws, such as the Gun-Free Schools Act, to improve school safety. It calls for schools to expel students who bring firearms to school. According to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Education, the number of students expelled for carrying a firearm to school is decreasing - 3,523 in 1998-99 compared with 3,658 in 1997-98.

Because no type of school - urban, suburban or rural, small or large - seems immune from sudden violence, school security experts say every building must have a crisis plan in place so staff members know how to react in an emergency, as well as how to take steps to prevent crises.

Many schools have added resource officers to their campuses, or established a regular law-enforcement presence at school to help prevent crime. The Center for the Prevention of School Violence says a resource officer should be trained "to perform three roles: law-enforcement officer; law-related counselor; and law-related education teacher."

7) Maintenance and Operations

Despite the recent construction boom in education, most districts have to rely at least in part on aging facilities. The average age of a school building in the United States is more than 40 years old.

"A substantial number of schools are in poor condition, and some of them suffer from age and overcrowding," according to "Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999."

The report showed that 50 percent of public schools reported that at least one building feature - HVAC, roofs, walls, finishes, windows, doors, electrical system, life-safety features, lighting, plumbing, floors and foundations - was in less than adequate condition.

To save energy and maintenance costs, many districts have turned to performance contracts that allow them to pay for improvements with the savings generated by the improvements.

It is estimated that K-12 schools spend more than $6 billion a year on energy. The U.S. Department of Energy says more efficient energy management - alternatives such as solar and geothermal power, behavioral changes such as turning off unused lights, or designs that incorporate the use of more daylight to illuminate a school - could reduce that bill by more than $1 billion.

8) Staff Training and Retention

A growing population of students, a trend toward smaller class sizes, and the accelerating pace of teacher retirements mean districts across the nation will be struggling to find enough competent teachers to instruct the next generation of students.

"If the pupil/teacher ratio remains constant, about 2 million newly hired public school teachers and about 500,000 newly hired private school teachers will be needed during the 11-year period from 1998-99 to 2008-09," says a National Center for Education Statistics report, "Predicting the Need for Newly Hired Teachers in the United States to 2008-09."

The needs are especially critical in certain subject areas - math and science, computers, special education and foreign languages. Teachers who are members of minority groups also are underrepresented, compared with the number of minority students.

The report suggests that offering current teachers incentives could forestall their retirements and reduce the number of replacements needed. Improved salaries and benefits could persuade others to remain in the profession instead of seeking potentially more lucrative opportunities.

Making more training available to teachers, especially in technology-related areas, could help make them more comfortable with computers and better able to integrate technology into their instruction.

9) Technology

With each passing year, technology does more and costs less, and schools have recognized that they have to offer students access to technology to provide a well-rounded education.

In 1999, 95 percent of U.S. public schools had Internet access, and 63 percent of classrooms were connected. The average school had one computer for every nine students.

A major factor in linking schools to the Internet has been the E-rate. The federal government, through the Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries, provides schools discounts on telecommunication services and equipment, and Internet connections. The money comes from surcharges on telecommunications services.

The discount ranges from 20 percent to 90 percent, depending on the economic characteristics of a school's population. Now in its third year, the E-rate has allocated more than $5 billion to schools and libraries.

Beyond the classroom, schools also are exploiting technology to improve their business practices. And "dot-com" startup companies, who want to bring some of the billions spent by schools to the Internet, are vying to lure schools to use their businesses.

School officials are using these e-commerce sites on the World Wide Web to procure supplies and equipment for their school districts. While still in their infancy, these businesses have the potential to let schools buy products more cheaply, more quickly, and with less paperwork and bureaucracy.

10) Unfunded Mandates

The U.S. school system is designed as a collection of locally controlled districts. But inevitably, state and federal regulations and programs influence how a local district must operate.

Laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act call upon schools to provide services or accommodations, but the mandates often do not include funding to carry out the provisions of the law.

When state and federal governments require schools to adopt certain policies or establish specific programs without providing the money needed to do so, schools often are between a rock and a hard place: Ignore a federal or state mandate and risk punitive action, or slash other programs to free funds and meet the unfunded mandates.

Without the money to carry out a program, a district often is put in the position of seeking less costly ways of meeting a mandate, which can alienate parents who believe their children are entitled to the most effective program, regardless of cost.

More funding from states and federal agencies would help districts. In the absence of that, districts that become more efficient in other areas - energy use, maintenance, purchasing practices - may be able to realize savings that could ease budget constraints.
Kennedy is staff writer for AS&U.

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Top Ten: Issues Impacting School Administrators

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Each of the thousands of school districts and millions of classrooms in the United States has its own unique set of challenges that reflect a wide diversity of students, teachers, resources and communities.Yet each school system also confronts similar facilities and business issues that cut across differences in population, geography and wealth.