Ineffective school leadership: Teachers weigh-in

Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Teachers have left schools due to poor and ineffective campus leadership, but often do not report the reasons why they left or do not have a safe mechanism in place to support their claims and drive campus change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the perceptions of teachers who work in elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas on the qualities of ineffective principals and how these qualities affect teacher retention. Respondents in an open-ended survey reported that ineffective principals lacked character, professionalism, and ethics; exhibited poor leadership and management skills; did not practice active listening or effective communication; and lacked the capacity to develop and sustain a positive learning climate. From these findings, we offer recommendations for campus principals for improving their leadership and school climate to support and retain teachers.