NASSP Bulletin

Diminished self-care practices and heightened stress of school counselors are continuing problems in education. With role ambiguity, high student-to-counselor ratios, emotional exhaustion, and other factors adding pressure to the roles and responsibilities of school counselors, this study investigated the well-being practiced of Missouri school counselors and the internal and external factors which influence them. Findings demonstrate several ways in which school counselors fail to meet basic well-being benchmarks, examples of positive school principal supports, and systemic counselor role ambiguity, mission creep, and high caseloads that contribute to stress and burnout. These results indicate three levels of decision-making that are paramount to school counselors achieving and sustaining healthy well-being practices—the individual counselor's role in self-care and professional advocacy; the school leader's approach to defining the counselor's role and promoting a healthy workplace culture; and the ways in which policymakers affect systemic change.

The purpose of this study was to report how principals describe their role as marketers for their school and examine how these perceptions influence the ways in which principals engage in their daily work. To investigate this phenomenon I conducted 30 interviews with 10 traditional public school principals in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Specifically, I asked: How, if at all, do principals report acting as marketers for their school? and (2) How do marketing-related activities influence principals’ traditionally thought of work? The findings of this work indicate principals believe one of their most pressing responsibilities as school leader is to market their school to parents/guardians and the local community. As a result of this belief, principals spend a significant amount of time engaging in marketing-related tasks such as promoting their school and building a brand that is recognizable to the community.

Dual enrollment policies and programs, where students earn both high school and college credits, have been scaled up across the United States in the last two decades. In this mixed methods study, we survey high school principals in Ohio and Texas, two states with robust dual enrollment policies. The study addressed one broad research question: What are principals’ perceptions of dual enrollment access, participation, and governance? Findings revealed three main themes: (1) economic/credential student motivations for dual enrollment; (2) mixed views about rigor; (3) issues surrounding the loss of principal autonomy.

The study examines factors that boost principals’ sense of resilience in their first year, as well as those that undermine it. 61 interviews were conducted with 21 school principals from five different districts throughout their first year in the role. Analysis revealed five categories of resilience-undermining factors. (1) Work overload that creates a sense of stress; (2) Difficulties in dealing with key players; (3) Lack of administrative knowledge; (4) Acceptance or rejection by the staff; and (5) Coping with the Covid-19 crisis. The analysis also revealed five categories of resilience-boosting factors: (1) Growth resulting from biographical events; (2) Short-term successes; (3) Supportive environment; (4) Drawing strength from the student environment; and (5) Acceptance by the staff. This study proposes ways of coping with the challenges of principalship through the prism of the resilience determinants of principals when entering their role.