Principal Burnout: Keeping Our Building Leaders in the Game

Abstract

School principal burnout is an increasingly prevalent issue affecting our school leaders across the nation. This sense of burnout is leaving our building leaders questioning their passion to remain in the profession and in many cases causing them to leave the profession. Burnout is characterized by chronic workplace stress, exhaustion, and a diminished sense of personal exhaustion. This case study explores the causes of burnout and effective ways to alleviate burnout. Ultimately this study aims to inform stakeholders of the importance in providing support for our school leaders who are often left in a sense of isolation. The findings of this research show that while we cannot fully identify and remove all causes of school principal burnout, removing the sense of isolation school leaders feel by providing quality mentorship programs can help slow the rate.