Research Brief

Sustaining Principal Resilience: Early Investigations in Understanding Principal Stress and Support

Rebecca Cheung, Meg Stomski, and Nathan Gong
November 2020 | University of California, Berkeley

This brief from the University of California, Berkeley’s education leadership program reports findings from the Principal Resilience Survey open to school principals in California during the 2019–20 school year. The survey was designed to identify significant stressors and means of professional support as well as to measure feelings of connectedness, efficacy (self- and district-level), and professional quality of life. Key findings show that the pandemic has increased overall stress levels for all demographic groups. The Principal Resilience Survey suggests that the work of a school principal is stressful across demographic groups including race, gender, and school composition. Additionally, specific groups of leaders, such as multilingual leaders, leaders of color, and those in the 3- to 5-year tenure length, experience even higher stress. Survey responses indicate a need to focus on supporting principals more closely during their 3rd through 5th years, a time when burnout and attrition is most likely. Participant responses suggest that professional circumstances such as increased networks and mentorship may contribute to the resilience of some principals.