Principal Attrition and Mobility:

Results From the 2008–09 Principal Follow-up Survey

First Look 

June 2010 

Danielle Battle 

Education Statistics Services Institute 

American Institutes for Research 

Kerry Gruber 

Project Officer 

National Center for Education Statistics 

NCES 2010-337

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan 

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences 

John Q. Easton 

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Stuart Kerachsky 

Deputy Commissioner

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Suggested Citation 

Battle, D. (2010). Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results From the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey (NCES 2010-337). U.S. 

Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

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iii

Contents 

Page

List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... iv

Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction 

Selected Findings.................................................................................................................... 3

References................................................................................................................................ 4 ...

Estimate Tables........................................................................................................................... 5

Appendix A: Standard Error Tables............................................................................................ A-1

Appendix B: Methodology and Technical Notes................................................................ B-........ 1

Appendix C: Description of Variables......................................................... C-1

Appendix D: 2008-09 Principal Status Forms................................................ D-1
iv

List of Tables

Table Page

Estimate Tables

1. Number and percentage distribution of school principals, by 2008-09 

status, school type, and school classification in the 2007-08 school year: 

2008-09........................................................................... 6

2. Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 

2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-

08 school year: 2008-09...................................................................... 7

3. Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 

2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-

08 school year: 2008-09........................................................................ 9

4. Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-

09 status and selected working conditions or school climate characteristics 

in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09................................................ 11

5. Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-

09 status and selected working conditions or school climate characteristics 

in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09................................................................ 12

6. Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school 

principals who thought they had a major influence on decisions concerning 

various activities and who somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with 

various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 

2008-09................................................................................. 13

7. Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school 

principals who thought they had a major influence on decisions concerning 

various activities and who somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with 

various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 

2008-09............................................................................................. 14

8. Percentage distribution of public school principals who moved to a 

different school, by total years of experience as a principal at 2007-08 

school and type of move: 2008-09................................................... 15

9. Percentage distribution of private school principals who moved to a 

different school, by total years of experience as a principal at 2007-08 

school and type of move: 2008-09................................................... 16
v

Table Page

10. Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school principal leavers, 

by total years of experience as a principal in any school in 2007-08: 

2008-09........................................................................................................... 17

11. Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school principal leavers, 

by total years of experience as a principal in any school in 2007-08: 

2008-09.................................................................................... 18

Appendix A: Standard Error Tables

A-1. Standard errors for Table 1: Number and percentage distribution of school 

principals, by 2008-09 status, school type, and school classification in the

2007-08 school year: 2008-09........................................................ A-2

A-2. Standard errors for Table 2: Number and percentage distribution of public 

school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school 

characteristics in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09.................................. A-3

A-3. Standard errors for Table 3: Number and percentage distribution of private 

school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school 

characteristics in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09................................. A-5

A-4. Standard errors for Table 4: Number and percentage distribution of public 

school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or 

school climate characteristics in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09............ A-7

A-5. Standard errors for Table 5: Number and percentage distribution of private 

school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or 

school climate characteristics in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09........... A-8

A-6. Standard errors for Table 6: Number and percentage distribution of 

2008-09 status of public school principals who thought they had a major 

influence on decisions concerning various activities and who somewhat 

agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 

2007-08 school year: 2008-09......................................................... A-9
vi 

Table Page

A-7. Standard errors for Table 7: Number and percentage distribution of 

2008-09 status of private school principals who thought they had a major 

influence on decisions concerning various activities and who somewhat 

agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 

2007-08 school year: 2008-09........................................................... A-10

A-8. Standard errors for Table 8: Percentage distribution of public school 

principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience as 

a principal at 2007-08 school and type of move: 2008-09....................... A-11

A-9. Standard errors for Table 9: Percentage distribution of private school 

principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience as 

a principal at 2007-08 school and type of move: 2008-09....................... A-12

A-10. Standard errors for Table 10: Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of 

public school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principal 

in any school in 2007-08: 2008-09................................................... A-13

A-11. Standard errors for Table 11: Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of 

private school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principal 

in any school in 2007-08: 2008-09................................................... A-14

Appendix B: Methodology and Technical Notes

B-1. Names of restricted-use data files and the questionnaires from which the data 

were drawn: 2007-08 and 2008-09........................................................... B-7

B-2. Base weighted unit and overall unit response rates, by sector: 2007-08 and 

2008-09....................................................................................... B-8

Appendix C: Description of Variables

C-1. Variables used in the Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results From the 2008-

09 Principal Follow-up Survey report: 2008-09....................................... C-2
1

Introduction

While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has conducted surveys of 

attrition and mobility among school teachers for two decades, little was known about 

similar movements among school principals. In order to inform discussions and decisions 

among policymakers, researchers, and parents, the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey 

(PFS) was initiated as a nationally representative sample survey of public,1

private, and 

Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools in the 50 states and the District of 

Columbia. 

Collected in school year 2008-09, the PFS was designed as a component of the 2007-08 

Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and was sponsored by NCES of the Institute of 

Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education. Conducted by the U.S. 

Census Bureau, data collection for the 2008-09 PFS began in March 2009, when paper 

questionnaires were mailed to schools, and ended in June 2009. Although the collection 

contained a telephone follow-up, the information was collected primarily through the 

following mailed questionnaires: the Principal Status Form for Public Schools (form 

SASS-30A) and the School Head/Principal Status Form for Private Schools (form SASS30B). The 2008-09 PFS assessed how many school principals in the 2007-08 school year 

still worked as a principal in the same school in the 2008-09 school year, how many had 

moved to become a principal in another school, and how many had left the principalship 

altogether. Schools that returned the 2007-08 SASS principal questionnaires were 

included in the PFS sample. The sample included about 7,460 public schools, 130 BIE 

schools, and 1,890 private schools. The unit response rates varied from 97 percent for 

private schools to 99 percent for public and BIE schools. Appendix table B-2 contains the 

unit and overall response rates for each of the PFS and SASS public, private, and BIE 

principal surveys. More information about the data files can be found in appendix B. The 

PFS questionnaires can be found in the appendix D. 

Because the purpose of this report is to introduce new NCES data through the 

presentation of tables containing descriptive information, only selected findings are 

presented. These findings have been chosen to demonstrate the range of information 

available from the PFS rather than to discuss all of the observed differences; they are not 

meant to emphasize any particular issue. 

The tables in this report contain counts and percentages reflecting bivariate associations 

between variables. All estimates have been weighted to produce state and national 

estimates. Comparisons mentioned in the selected findings have been tested for statistical 

significance at the .05 level using Student’s t statistics to ensure that the differences are 

larger than those that might be expected due to random sampling variation. No 

adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. Many of the variables are related to 

one another, and complex interactions and relationships have not been explored. 

Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) (9.1) and SUDAAN (10.0) were used to compute the 

statistics for this report. 

 

1

 Public schools include traditional public and charter schools. 
2

For information about the methodology and design of the 2008-09 PFS, please see the 

technical notes of this report in appendix B and the Documentation for the 2008-09 

Principal Follow-up Survey (Battle et al. forthcoming). 
3

Selected Findings 

 Of the 117,140 school principals (public, BIE-funded, and private) who were 

principals during the 2007-08 school year, 80 percent remained at the same school 

during the following school year (“stayers”), 6 percent moved to a different 

school (“movers”), and 12 percent left the principalship (“leavers”). In addition, 3

percent of principals were from schools that reported the principal had left, but the 

schools were unable to report the current occupational status of the principal 

(“other”) (table 1). 

 In public schools, a higher percentage of female public school principals stayed in 

the same school compared to male public school principals. Eighty-one percent of 

female public school principals stayed in the same school, compared to 78 percent 

of male public school principals (table 2). 

 About 16 percent of private school principals who had less than 3 years of 

experience as a principal in any school as of 2007-08 had left the principalship in 

2008-09, while 8 percent of private school principals with 10 years or more 

experience had left the principalship (table 3). This is opposite the pattern for 

public schools, where the respective numbers are 8 and 18 percent (table 2). 

 Of school principals who reported in the 2007-08 school year that student acts of 

disrespect to teachers occurred at least once a month or more often, 12 percent of 

public school principals and 16 percent of private school principals left the 

principalship in 2008-09 (tables 4 and 5). 

 Among school principals who reported in the 2007-08 school year that they 

agreed, either somewhat or strongly, with the statement that they don’t seem to 

have as much enthusiasm now as when they began their career as a principal, 17 

percent of public and 14 percent of private school principals left the principalship 

in 2008-09 (tables 6 and 7).

 Of all public school principals who moved to a different school, 53 percent moved 

to another public school in the same school district (table 8). 

 Of all private school principals who moved to a different school, 89 percent 

moved to another private school (table 9). 

 Of principals who had left the principalship in 2008-09, a higher percentage of 

public school principals left due to retirement. Forty-five percent of public school 

principals and 22 percent of private school principals retired (tables 10 and 11). 
4

References 

Battle, D. (2009). Characteristics of Public, Private, and Bureau of Indian Education 

Elementary and Secondary School Principals in the United States: Results From the 

2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES 2009-323). U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 

March 25, 2010, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009323.

Battle, D., Keigher, A., Hill, J., Peltola, P., Swaim, N., and Parker, J. (forthcoming). 

Documentation for the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey (NCES 2010-340). U.S. 

Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. 

Cochran, W.G. (1977). Sampling Techniques. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 

Tourkin, S., Thomas, T., Swaim, N., Cox, S., Parmer, R., Jackson, B., Cole, C., and 

Zhang, B. (forthcoming). Documentation for the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey 

(NCES 2010-332). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center 

for Education Statistics. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). NCES 

Statistical Standards (NCES 2003-601). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing 

Office. 
5

Estimate Tables 
6

 Table 1. Number and percentage distribution of school principals, by 2008-09 status, school type, and school classification in the 2007-08 school year: 2

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All schools 117,140 93,150 7,060 13,640 3,290 79.5 6.0 Public 89,920 71,440 6,210 10,690 1,570 79.5 6.9  School classification Traditional public 86,390 68,900 5,940 10,240 1,310 79.8 6.9  Charter school 3,530 2,540 270 ! 450 260 ! 72.0 7.7 ! BIE 170 120 2 0 2 0 1 0 71.8 8.9 Private 27,050 21,580 830 2,930 1,710 79.8 3.1 ! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.1

 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondents 

the weighted total of 90,470 public school principals in 2007-08; 2.0 percent of the weighted total of 27,960 private school principals in 2007-08; and 0.6 pe180 BIE school principals in 2007-08. NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different are 2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possleaver status in 2008-09. BIE refers to schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education which are operated by the BIE, a tribe, or a private contractor and ndistrict. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal, BIE SchooPrincipal Data Files," 2007-08; "Public School Principal Status, BIE School Principal Status, and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2008-09.

Number Perce

Non-stayers 

School type in 2007-08
7

Table 2. Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-08 school Principal or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All public schools 89,920 71,440 6,210 10,690 1,570 79.5 6.9 Age Less than 45 years 30,380 25,060 2,630 2,130 560 ! 82.5 8.7  45-54 years 31,080 25,400 2,080 2,960 630 81.7 6.7  55 years or more 28,460 20,970 1,500 5,600 380 ! 73.7 5.3 Sex Male 44,620 34,640 3,330 5,820 840 77.6 7.5  Female 45,290 36,810 2,880 4,870 740 81.3 6.4 Race/ethnicity Hispanic or Latino, of any race 5,820 4,610 380 ! 680 ‡ 79.1 6.6 !  White, not Hispanic or Latino 72,730 58,220 4,930 8,620 960 80.1 6.8  Black, not Hispanic or Latino 9,590 7,420 690 1,090 400 ! 77.4 7.2  All other Races/Ethnicities

2 1,770 1,190 210 ! 300 ! ‡ 67.2 11.8 ! 

Salary Less than $60,000 6,380 5,040 390 800 ‡ 79.0 6.2  $60,000-$79,999 29,600 23,540 2,470 3,240 350 ! 79.5 8.3  $80,000-$99,999 32,720 25,750 2,310 4,040 620 78.7 7.1  $100,000 or more 21,220 17,110 1,030 2,610 460 80.6 4.9 Highest degree Bachelor's degree or less 1,320 1,030 ‡ ‡ 8 0 ! 77.7 ‡  Master's degree 54,890 43,990 3,920 6,130 850 80.1 7.1  Educational specialist or  professional diploma

3 26,120 20,800 1,640 3,190 490 79.6 6.3 

 Doctorate or first professional degree 7,590 5,630 550 1,250 160 ! 74.2 7.2 Years of experience as a  principal at 2007-08 school Less than 3 years 42,690 33,710 3,690 4,290 1,000 79.0 8.6  3-5 years 22,080 17,730 1,380 2,600 370 ! 80.3 6.2  6-9 years 14,410 11,920 690 1,640 ‡ 82.7 4.8  10 years or more 10,730 8,080 450 ! 2,150 ‡ 75.3 4.2 ! Years of experience as a  principal at any school Less than 3 years 23,510 18,920 2,230 1,880 480 ! 80.5 9.5  3-5 years 20,100 16,530 1,380 1,830 370 82.2 6.8  6-9 years 19,490 16,010 1,110 2,110 260 ! 82.1 5.7  10 years or more 26,810 19,980 1,500 4,870 460 ! 74.5 5.6 See notes at end of table. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
8

Table 2. Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-08 school Principal or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

School classification Traditional public 86,390 68,900 5,940 10,240 1,310 79.8 6.9  Charter school 3,530 2,540 270 ! 450 260 ! 72.0 7.7 ! Community type City 21,410 16,770 1,620 2,440 580 78.3 7.6  Suburban 25,680 21,050 1,400 2,760 470 ! 82.0 5.5  Town 13,740 10,690 900 1,920 ‡ 77.9 6.5  Rural 29,080 22,920 2,290 3,570 300 ! 78.8 7.9 School level  Elementary 62,030 49,860 4,370 6,850 950 80.4 7.0  Secondary 21,340 16,780 1,350 2,800 410 78.6 6.3  Combined 6,540 4,800 490 1,040 ‡ 73.4 7.5 Student enrollment Less than 100 6,870 5,110 720 ! 860 ‡ 74.5 10.5 !  100-199 8,410 6,640 550 990 ‡ 78.9 6.5  200-499 36,610 28,750 2,640 4,510 720 78.5 7.2  500-749 20,200 16,600 1,170 2,200 230 ! 82.2 5.8  750-999 8,740 7,010 460 1,130 ‡ 80.2 5.3  1,000 or more 9,090 7,340 660 1,010 8 0 ! 80.7 7.3 Percent of K-12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches 0-34 33,810 27,870 2,060 3,550 330 ! 82.4 6.1  35-49 14,890 12,030 1,110 1,560 200 ! 80.8 7.4  50-74 19,860 15,940 1,190 2,510 220 ! 80.2 6.0  75 or more 17,450 12,900 1,590 2,330 640 ! 73.9 9.1  School did not participate in free or reduced-price lunch program 3,910 2,710 270 ! 740 ‡ 69.3 6.9 ! ! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondents representotal of 90,470 public school principals in 2007-08. 2 All other Races/Ethnicities includes American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic or Latino; Asian, not Hispanic or Latino; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islandeor more races, not Hispanic or Latino. 3

 At least 1 year beyond the master's level.

NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schools iprincipals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possible to determine a moDetail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007-08; "Data File," 2008-09. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
9

Table 3. Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-08 schooPrincipal or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

All private schools 27,050 21,580 830 2,930 1,710 79.8 3.1 

Age Less than 45 years 7,610 5,820 190 ! 960 630 76.6 2.5 !  45-54 years 7,510 5,950 360 680 520 79.3 4.8  55 years or more 11,940 9,810 290 1,280 560 82.2 2.4 Sex Male 12,440 9,660 390 1,380 1,000 77.7 3.2  Female 14,620 11,920 440 1,550 710 81.6 3.0 Race/ethnicity Hispanic or Latino, of any race 1,080 870 ‡ 7 0 ! 100 ! 80.9 ‡  White, not Hispanic or Latino 23,610 18,990 710 2,570 1,350 80.4 3.0  Black, not Hispanic or Latino 1,720 1,290 7 0 ! 200 ! 150 ! 74.9 4.3 !  All other Races/Ethnicities

2 640 430 ‡ 9 0 ! ‡ 67.9 ‡ 

Salary Less than $60,000 17,740 13,790 490 2,130 1,330 77.8 2.8  $60,000-$79,999 4,790 4,070 150 ! 420 150 84.9 3.1 !  $80,000-$99,999 2,170 1,790 9 0 ! 150 140 ! 82.4 4.1 !  $100,000 or more 2,360 1,930 100 ! 230 9 0 ! 82.0 4.4 ! Highest degree Bachelor's degree or less 8,480 6,670 220 ! 760 830 78.6 2.6 !  Master's degree 13,850 11,210 450 1,490 700 80.9 3.2  Educational specialist or  professional diploma

3 2,730 2,170 9 0 ! 420 ‡ 79.4 3.3 ! 

 Doctorate or first professional degree 1,980 1,530 7 0 ! 260 130 ! 77.1 3.5 ! Years of experience as a  principal at 2007-08 school Less than 3 years 10,430 7,810 350 1,460 810 74.9 3.3  3-5 years 5,250 4,060 210 ! 580 400 ! 77.4 4.0  6-9 years 4,470 3,690 130 ! 460 200 ! 82.6 2.8 !  10 years or more 6,910 6,020 150 430 300 ! 87.2 2.1 Years of experience as a  principal at any school Less than 3 years 6,640 4,840 180 ! 1,040 580 72.9 2.7 !  3-5 years 4,600 3,500 210 460 420 ! 76.2 4.6  6-9 years 4,460 3,620 150 470 220 ! 81.2 3.4  10 years or more 11,360 9,630 290 960 4800 84.7 2.6 See notes at end of table. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
10

Table 3. Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characteristics in the 2007-08 schooPrincipal or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

School classification Catholic 7,320 6,280 250 640 160 85.7 3.4  Other religious 13,170 10,170 400 1,500 1,100 77.2 3.0  Nonsectarian 6,560 5,140 180 ! 790 450 78.4 2.8 ! Community type City 9,420 7,760 320 1,030 320 82.4 3.3  Suburban 9,310 7,700 290 810 500 82.7 3.2  Town 2,720 2,080 ‡ 440 150 ! 76.5 2.1 !  Rural 5,590 4,040 170 ! 650 740 72.2 3.0 ! School level  Elementary 15,530 12,380 550 1,650 950 79.7 3.6  Secondary 2,910 2,180 9 0 ! 370 270 ! 74.8 3.0 !  Combined 8,610 7,030 190 ! 910 480 81.6 2.2 ! Student enrollment Less than 100 12,360 9,310 330 1,400 1,310 75.4 2.7  100-199 5,980 4,750 220 780 240 79.4 3.6  200-499 6,570 5,690 200 570 100 ! 86.7 3.1  500-749 1,390 1,130 7 0 ! 150 ! ‡ 81.3 5.4 !  750 or more 770 700 ‡ 4 0 ! ‡ 91.3 ‡ Participation in free or  reduced-price lunch School did participate 8,140 6,540 250 1,040 320 80.3 3.1  School did not participate 18,9100 15,040 580 1,890 1,390 79.6 3.1 ! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondents represetotal of 27,960 private school principals in 2007-08. 2 All other Races/Ethnicities includes American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic or Latino; Asian, not Hispanic or Latino; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islandeor more races, not Hispanic or Latino. 3

 At least 1 year beyond the master's level.

NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schools 2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possible to determ2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 2007-08; Data File," 2008-09.characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
11

Table 4. Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or school climate characteristics Working condition or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Mo

 All public schools 89,920 71,440 6,210 10,690 1,570 79.5 Hours per week spent on all school-related  activities Less than 45 3,850 3,020 170 ! 520 ! 130 ! 78.6  45-54 22,870 18,110 1,320 2,990 440 ! 79.2  55-59 14,040 11,250 1,180 1,480 120 ! 80.1  60 or more 49,160 39,060 3,530 5,690 890 79.4 Hours per week spent interacting with  students Less than 10 12,200 10,040 880 1,160 130 ! 82.3  10-19 29,830 23,730 2,200 3,490 410 79.6  20-24 14,970 11,710 960 1,990 310 ! 78.2  25 or more 32,920 25,970 2,170 4,060 720 ! 78.9 Bargaining agreements  Represented under meet-and-confer agreement 18,330 14,330 1,280 2,370 350 ! 78.2  Represented under a collective bargaining agreement 24,520 19,980 1,600 2,570 380 81.5  Not represented under meet-and-confer or  collective bargaining agreement 47,060 37,130 3,330 5,750 850 78.9 Professional development Participated in professional development  activities the past 12 months 87,920 69,950 6,140 10,290 1,540 79.6  Did not participate in professional  development activities the past 12 months 2,000 1,490 7 0 ! 400 ! ‡ 74.6 The following problems occurred at least  once a month or more often: Physical conflicts among students 27,990 21,980 2,090 3,220 710 78.5  Student bullying 37,880 30,200 2,700 4,220 760 79.7  Student acts of disrespect for teachers 22,080 16,820 2,070 2,690 500 76.2 More than 50 percent of students had at least  one parent or guardian participate in the  following events: Open house or back-to-school night 65,090 52,090 4,600 7,490 910 80.0  Parent-teacher conference 61,360 49,320 4,270 6,870 890 80.4  Special subject-area events

2 54,930 43,880 3,700 6,530 820 79.9 

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondents repretotal of 90,470 public school principals in 2007-08. 2

 Special subject-area events include science fairs and concerts.

NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schoprincipals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possible to determine a Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007-0File," 2008-09.climate characteristic in 2007-08

Number 

Non-stayers 
12

Table 5. Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or school climate characteristics in the Working condition or school 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

All private schools 27,050 21,580 830 2,930 1,710 79.8 3.1 

Hours per week spent on all school-related  activities Less than 45 3,460 2,420 ‡ 380 ! 580 ! 69.8 ‡  45-54 9,010 7,100 270 1,170 470 78.8 3.0  55-59 3,750 3,010 110 ! 380 250 80.1 3.0  60 or more 10,830 9,060 360 1,000 400 83.7 3.3 Hours per week spent interacting with  students Less than 10 6,720 5,090 200 820 610 75.8 3.0  10-19 7,360 5,930 190 870 370 80.6 2.6  20-24 3,320 2,720 140 ! 210 250 82.0 4.2  25 or more 9,650 7,840 300 1,040 480 81.2 3.1 Professional development Participated in professional development  activities the past 12 months 22,200 18,070 780 2,210 1,140 81.4 3.5  Did not participate in professional  development activities the past 12 months 4,850 3,510 ‡ 720 570 ! 72.3 ‡ The following problems occurred at least  once a month or more often: Physical conflicts among students 1,970 1,510 ‡ 280 140 ! 76.5 ‡  Student bullying 4,430 3,590 140 530 170 ! 81.1 3.2  Student acts of disrespect for teachers 2,450 1,870 4 0 ! 400 150 ! 76.1 1.6 More than 50 percent of students had at least  one parent or guardian participate in the  following events: Open house or back-to-school night 21,960 18,160 670 2,200 930 82.7 3.0  Parent-teacher conference 22,140 18,070 720 2,270 1,070 81.6 3.3  Special subject-area events

2 20,030 16,360 680 2,060 930 81.7 3.4 

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondents represent total of 27,960 private school principals in 2007-08. 2

 Special subject-area events include science fairs and concerts.

NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schools in principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possible to determine a movDetail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 2007-08; "PData File," 2008-09.climate characteristic in 2007-08

Number Pe

Non-stayers 
13

Table 6. Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school principals who thought they had a major influence on decisions conce

somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09 

Activity and job satisfaction characteristic 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Mo

 All public schools 89,920 71,440 6,210 10,690 1,570 79.5 Activity in 2007-08 school year Setting performance standards for students  of this school 55,800 44,530 3,910 6,250 1,120 79.8  Establishing curriculum at this school 51,250 40,610 3,560 6,110 970 79.2  Determining the content of in-service  professional development programs  for teachers of this school 67,630 53,630 4,830 7,950 1,220 79.3  Evaluating teachers of this school 84,690 67,220 5,800 10,140 1,530 79.4  Hiring new full-time teachers of this school 81,300 64,600 5,730 9,640 1,320 79.5  Setting discipline policy at this school 79,440 62,720 5,630 9,750 1,340 78.9  Deciding how your school budget will be  spent 66,640 53,030 4,850 7,510 1,250 79.6 Job satisfaction characteristic in  2007-08 school year The stress and disappointments involved in serving as principal at this school aren’t  really worth it 15,810 11,800 1,390 2,250 370 74.7  The faculty and staff at this school like  being here; I would describe them as  a satisfied group 83,430 66,560 5,780 9,700 1,390 79.8  I like the way things are run in this district 71,730 58,620 4,550 7,640 920 81.7  If I could get a higher paying job I'd leave  education as soon as possible 18,090 13,560 1,620 2,560 350 ! 74.9  I think about transferring to another school 18,510 13,120 2,090 2,650 650 70.8   I don’t seem to have as much enthusiasm  now as I did when I began my career as  a principal 23,250 17,220 1,610 3,980 450 ! 74.0  I think about staying home from school  because I’m just too tired to go 10,410 8,080 740 1,340 260 ! 77.6 ! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondeweighted total of 90,470 public school principals in 2007-08. NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in differe2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possistatus in 2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal File," 200Data File," 2008-09.in the 2007-08 school year

Number 

Non-stayers 
14

Table 7. Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school principals who thought they had a major influence on decisions conce

somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09 

Activity and job satisfaction characteristic 

Total

1 Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Mov

 All private schools 27,050 21,580 830 2,930 1,710 79.8 Activity in 2007-08 school year Setting performance standards for students  of this school 23,880 19,550 740 2,330 1,270 81.9  Establishing curriculum at this school 23,410 19,290 700 2,190 1,240 82.4  Determining the content of in-service  professional development programs  for teachers of this school 23,690 19,310 680 2,580 1,120 81.5  Evaluating teachers of this school 25,730 20,850 780 2,640 1,450 81.0  Hiring new full-time teachers of this school 25,630 20,510 740 2,790 1,600 80.0  Setting discipline policy at this school 25,940 20,990 780 2,740 1,430 80.9  Deciding how your school budget will be  spent 22,560 18,200 640 2,460 1,250 80.7 Job satisfaction characteristic in  2007-08 school year The stress and disappointments involved in serving as principal at this school aren’t  really worth it 3,990 2,780 200 660 350 69.8  The faculty and staff at this school like  being here; I would describe them as  a satisfied group 25,050 20,110 730 2,730 1,490 80.3  If I could get a higher paying job I'd leave  education as soon as possible 2,710 1,810 140 ! 500 270 ! 66.6  I think about transferring to another school 3,620 2,570 360 390 300 70.8 1  I don’t seem to have as much enthusiasm  now as I did when I began my career as  a principal 6,370 4,830 230 880 430 75.8  I think about staying home from school  because I’m just too tired to go 2,740 2,080 120 340 200 75.7 ! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 These estimates do not include principals about whom no information was available in 2008-09. These Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) nonrespondenweighted total of 27,960 private school principals in 2007-08. NOTE: Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in differe2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Other includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but for whom it was not possibstatus in 2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal File," 200Status Data File," 2008-09.in the 2007-08 school year

Number 

Non-stayers 
15

Table 8. Percentage distribution of public school principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience as a principal at 2007-08 scho

Total

1

Less than 3 years

2

3-5 years

3

6-9 ye

 All public school principal movers 100.0 100.0 100.0 1Moved from a public school to another  public school in the same district 53.3 50.9 59.7  Moved from a public school to another public  school in a different school district 34.7 37.5 28.4 Moved from a public school to another  public school, district unknown 8.4 8.0 ! 7.0 ! Moved from a public school to a private school ‡ ‡ 1.0 ! Moved from a public school to another  school, sector unknown ‡ ‡ ‡ # Rounds to zero.! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 The total number of public school principal movers is about 6,210.2 The total number of public school principal movers with less than 3 years of experience is about 3,690.3 The total number of public school principal movers with 3-5 years of experience is about 1,380.4 The total number of public school principal movers with 6-9 years of experience is about 690.5 The total number of public school principal movers with 10 years or more of experience is about 450.NOTE: Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schools in 2008-09. The category "Moved from a public school to another public scincludes responses to "Working as a principal, but in a different public school" but did not specify if they were in-district or out-of-district. Detail may not surounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data FilePrincipal Status Data File," 2008-09. Type of move

Years of experience as a principal at 2007-0
16

Table 9. Percentage distribution of private school principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience as a principal at 2007-08 sch

Total

1

Less than 3 years

2

3-5 years

3

6-9 ye

 All private school principal movers 100.0 100.0 100.0 1Moved from a private school to a public school 9.5 ! ‡ ‡ Moved from a private school to another  private school 89.0 87.5 94.6 Moved from a private school to another  school, sector unknown ‡ # # # Rounds to zero.! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 The total number of private school principal movers is about 830.2 The total number of private school principal movers with less than 3 years of experience is about 350.3 The total number of private school principal movers with 3-5 years of experience is about 210.4 The total number of private school principal movers with 6-9 years of experience is about 130.5 The total number of private school principal movers with 10 years or more of experience is about 150.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data FilePrincipal Status Data File," 2008-09. Type of move

Years of experience as a principal at 2007-0

NOTE: Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in different schools in 2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
17

Table 10. Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principal in any school in 2007-08: 2008

Total

1 Less than 3 years

2 3-5 years

3 6-9 y

 All public school principal leavers 100.0 100.0 100.0 Status of all leavers Retired - not working outside of home 45.4 18.8 20.2  Deceased 0.6 ! ‡ ‡  Not working outside of home and not retired 2.0 ! ‡ ‡  Working in a K-12 school, but not as a principal 15.6 37.0 14.3 !  Working in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school 33.2 35.5 54.5  Working at a job outside of K-12 education 3.2 ‡ 4.0 ! Status of leavers who were working in a position in a K-12 school, but not as a principal Working in current school, but not as a principal 21.3 ‡ ‡  Working in a different public school, but not as a principal 64.7 79.5 59.1  Working in a private school, but not as a principal ‡ ‡ ‡  Working in a different school but not as a principal - unknown school type 13.0 ! ‡ ‡ Status of leavers who were working in a position in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school Working in a district or administrative office as a superintendent,  assistant superintendent, or other higher-level administrator 66.2 54.0 66.6  Working in a district or administrative office, in a position other than that of a superintendent, assistant superintendent, or other higher- level administrator 24.9 35.9 ! 29.1 !  Working at a job associated with K-12 education, but not directly associated with any schools or school systems 6.8 ! ‡ ‡  Position unknown ‡ ‡ ‡ # Rounds to zero.! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 The total number of public school principal leavers is about 10,690.2 The total number of public school principal leavers with less than 3 years of experience is about 1,880.3 The total number of public school principal leavers with 3-5 years of experience is about 1,830.4 The total number of public school principal leavers with 6-9 years of experience is about 2,110.5 The total number of public school principal leavers with 10 years or more of experience is about 4,870.NOTE: Leavers are 2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007Status Data File," 2008-09.Status

Total years of experience as a principal in any sc
18

Table 11. Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principal in any school in 2007-08: 200

Total

1 Less than 3 years

2 3-5 years

3 6-9 y

 All private school principal leavers 100.0 100.0 100.0 Status of all leavers Retired - not working outside of home 22.1 ‡ 16.0 !  Deceased ‡ ‡ #  Not working outside of home and not retired 2.5 ! # ‡  Working in a K-12 school, but not as a principal 37.3 46.8 31.8  Working in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school 7.0 ‡ ‡  Working at a job outside of K-12 education 25.5 26.9 36.2 ! Status of leavers who were working in a position in a K-12 school, but not as a principal Working in current school, but not as a principal 48.2 48.3 37.5 !  Working in a public school, but not as a principal 19.8 21.0 ! ‡  Working in a different private school, but not as a principal 27.6 25.5 40.7 !  Working in a different school but not as a principal - unknown school type ‡ ‡ ‡ Status of leavers who were working in a position in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school Working in a district or administrative office as a superintendent,  assistant superintendent, or other higher-level administrator 44.5 ! # ‡  Working in a district or administrative office, in a position other than that of a superintendent, assistant superintendent, or other higher- level administrator 33.8 ! 100.0 #  Working at a job associated with K-12 education, but not directly associated with any schools or school systems ‡ # ‡  Position unknown # # # # Rounds to zero.! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate's value.‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.1 The total number of private school principal leavers is about 2,930.2 The total number of private school principal leavers with less than 3 years of experience is about 1,040.3 The total number of private school principal leavers with 3-5 years of experience is about 460.4 The total number of private school principal leavers with 6-9 years of experience is about 470.5 The total number of private school principal leavers with 10 years or more of experience is about 960.NOTE: Leavers are 2007-08 principals who were no longer principals in 2008-09. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 2007Status Data File," 2008-09.Status

Total years of experience as a principal in any sc
A-1

Appendix A: Standard Error Tables 
A-2

Table A-1. Standard errors for Table 1: Number and percentage distribution of school principals, by 2008-09 status, school type, and school classification 

2008-09

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All schools 656 936 539 643 351 0.75 0.46 Public 554 862 538 586 277 0.88 0.60  School classification Traditional public 517 865 518 578 245 0.91 0.60  Charter school 156 218 120 132 118 5.14 3.45 BIE 6 6 3 2 2 2.05 1.47 Private 302 384 9 8 226 241 1.10 0.36 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal, BIE SchooPrincipal Data Files," 2007-08; "Public School Principal Status, BIE School Principal Status, and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2008-09.

Number Perce

Non-stayers 

School typein 2007-08
A-3

Table A-2. Standard errors for Table 2: Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school character

2008-09

Principal or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All public schools 554 862 538 586 277 0.88 0.60 Age Less than 45 years 974 942 340 304 196 1.52 1.07  45-54 years 1,005 881 288 330 159 1.28 0.91  55 years or more 975 928 315 487 124 1.88 1.11 Sex Male 1,145 1,020 385 466 174 1.22 0.81  Female 1,143 1,091 386 453 207 1.22 0.82 Race/ethnicity Hispanic or Latino, of any race 531 484 163 197 † 3.94 2.86  White, not Hispanic or Latino 1,023 1,049 483 578 190 1.02 0.65  Black, not Hispanic or Latino 662 605 183 193 158 2.66 1.78  All other Races/Ethnicities 289 226 9 0 112 † 7.28 4.73 Salary Less than $60,000 572 513 104 222 † 3.52 1.60  $60,000-$79,999 838 720 390 346 124 1.61 1.22  $80,000-$99,999 974 914 341 426 169 1.65 1.01  $100,000 or more 769 739 218 313 129 1.72 1.02 Highest degree Bachelor's degree or less 207 208 † † 3 6 7.52 †  Master's degree 918 940 494 498 226 1.13 0.89  Educational specialist or  professional diploma 925 800 260 367 142 1.58 0.94  Doctorate or first professional degree 512 441 147 199 5 5 3.06 1.89 Years of experience as a  principal at 2007-08 school Less than 3 years 975 812 461 457 234 1.54 1.00  3-5 years 804 832 257 296 115 1.76 1.16  6-9 years 695 603 136 216 † 1.61 0.86  10 years or more 604 545 141 321 † 3.00 1.29 Years of experience as a  principal at any school Less than 3 years 968 807 394 346 172 2.06 1.56  3-5 years 840 831 263 227 109 1.76 1.27  6-9 years 833 775 189 291 113 1.85 0.90  10 years or more 929 874 249 420 139 1.76 0.93 See notes at end of table. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
A-4

Table A-2. Standard errors for Table 2: Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school character

2008-09—Continued

Principal or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

School classification Traditional public 517 865 518 578 245 0.91 0.60  Charter school 156 218 120 132 118 5.14 3.45 Community type City 721 690 271 329 146 2.03 1.29  Suburban 936 942 213 293 171 1.53 0.85  Town 654 577 184 315 † 2.33 1.29  Rural 1,019 871 354 367 111 1.51 1.17 School level  Elementary 588 883 489 564 212 1.23 0.79  Secondary 454 421 199 307 111 1.25 0.94  Combined 366 313 102 169 † 2.74 1.49 Student enrollment Less than 100 535 523 248 193 † 4.10 3.54  100-199 556 539 132 180 † 3.08 1.61  200-499 1,196 1,077 373 457 190 1.53 0.93  500-749 877 851 242 319 8 0 2.09 1.17  750-999 572 549 121 177 † 2.69 1.39  1,000 or more 425 421 129 142 3 2 2.06 1.42 Percent of K-12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches 0-34 978 934 288 369 120 1.33 0.84  35-49 770 704 246 233 7 8 2.19 1.61  50-74 700 651 192 360 9 0 1.95 0.95  75 or more 661 586 277 336 202 2.16 1.57  School did not participate in free or reduced-price lunch program 417 299 162 205 † 5.48 3.94 † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007-08; "Data File," 2008-09. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
A-5

Table A-3. Standard errors for Table 3: Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characte

year: 2008-09

Principal or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

All private schools 302 384 9 8 226 241 1.10 0.36 

Age Less than 45 years 378 333 5 7 170 158 2.64 0.75  45-54 years 323 315 6 9 116 109 2.13 0.89  55 years or more 401 387 5 1 159 113 1.53 0.43 Sex Male 434 360 7 0 163 199 1.71 0.55  Female 379 350 8 7 176 127 1.36 0.59 Race/ethnicity Hispanic or Latino, of any race 149 146 † 2 8 3 8 5.16 †  White, not Hispanic or Latino 392 442 100 212 220 1.23 0.42  Black, not Hispanic or Latino 187 173 3 7 6 4 5 3 5.23 2.11  All other Races/Ethnicities 114 8 6 † 4 1 † 8.73 † Salary Less than $60,000 371 427 9 5 207 227 1.62 0.52  $60,000-$79,999 240 227 4 8 7 5 4 3 2.03 0.99  $80,000-$99,999 161 148 3 0 4 5 4 7 2.80 1.38  $100,000 or more 162 146 3 8 6 0 3 9 3.09 1.49 Highest degree Bachelor's degree or less 392 365 7 7 148 194 2.71 0.91  Master's degree 346 312 6 9 136 131 1.06 0.51  Educational specialist or  professional diploma 203 161 3 9 107 † 3.32 1.44  Doctorate or first professional degree 177 162 2 5 5 1 4 2 3.25 1.26 Years of experience as a  principal at 2007-08 school Less than 3 years 358 324 8 0 174 140 1.83 0.75  3-5 years 316 265 6 4 9 8 132 2.82 1.13  6-9 years 299 268 4 0 9 6 8 4 2.91 0.87  10 years or more 275 263 3 8 8 4 9 4 1.75 0.55 Years of experience as a  principal at any school Less than 3 years 317 269 7 0 167 137 2.56 1.05  3-5 years 305 259 5 3 9 2 134 3.12 1.06  6-9 years 296 269 3 5 9 3 8 7 2.65 0.85  10 years or more 337 312 5 1 114 109 1.40 0.44 See notes at end of table. characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
A-6

Table A-3. Standard errors for Table 3: Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected principal or school characte

year: 2008-09—Continued

Principal or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

School classification Catholic 4 0 9 5 4 5 8 2 3 5 1.27 0.62  Other religious 267 336 7 1 180 202 1.96 0.52  Nonsectarian 128 188 5 7 113 107 2.31 0.87 Community type City 273 268 5 8 127 7 6 1.51 0.63  Suburban 226 255 6 4 110 8 7 1.66 0.69  Town 200 167 † 119 5 5 4.10 1.03  Rural 287 245 6 2 132 188 3.63 1.07 School level  Elementary 292 321 8 9 190 189 1.67 0.57  Secondary 170 154 3 4 7 3 8 5 3.41 1.24  Combined 294 287 6 5 111 107 1.99 0.72 Student enrollment Less than 100 418 407 8 4 218 216 2.37 0.68  100-199 260 238 5 0 9 5 6 3 1.82 0.79  200-499 274 255 4 6 7 6 3 2 1.29 0.69  500-749 116 9 9 2 4 4 7 † 3.43 1.64  750 or more 6 9 6 8 † 1 7 † 2.72 † Participation in free or  reduced-price lunch School did participate 295 259 5 6 160 9 3 2.03 0.69  School did not participate 374 356 9 1 185 218 1.40 0.47 † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 2007-08; Data File," 2008-09.characteristic in 2007-08

Number Perc

Non-stayers 
A-7

Table A-4. Standard errors for Table 4: Number and percentage distribution of public school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or sch

2007-08 school year: 2008-09

Working condition or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Mo

 All public schools 554 862 538 586 277 0.88 Hours per week spent on all school-related  activities Less than 45 408 377 6 9 189 5 8 4.73  45-54 884 806 305 390 181 2.19  55-59 804 779 255 261 3 9 2.38  60 or more 1,047 981 349 481 200 1.22 Hours per week spent interacting with  students Less than 10 671 649 236 196 4 2 2.55  10-19 1,174 1,015 365 364 113 1.48  20-24 833 671 187 335 139 2.32  25 or more 1,162 1,047 288 478 218 1.60 Bargaining agreements  Represented under meet-and-confer agreement 594 659 232 289 159 2.37  Represented under a collective bargaining agreement 817 725 257 341 106 1.48  Not represented under meet-and-confer or  collective bargaining agreement 856 780 430 475 178 1.19 Professional development Participated in professional development  activities the past 12 months 609 852 537 601 275 0.89  Did not participate in professional  development activities the past 12 months 316 267 2 1 159 † 6.62 The following problems occurred at least  once a month or more often: Physical conflicts among students 819 746 285 357 195 1.68  Student bullying 1,006 911 345 421 157 1.45  Student acts of disrespect for teachers 816 730 290 328 149 1.82 More than 50 percent of students had at least  one parent or guardian participate in the  following events: Open house or back-to-school night 741 937 501 584 209 1.18  Parent-teacher conference 843 969 468 521 198 1.15  Special subject-area events 863 918 425 535 173 1.15 † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007-08File," 2008-09.climate characteristic in 2007-08

Number 

Non-stayers 
A-8

Table A-5. Standard errors for Table 5: Number and percentage distribution of private school principals, by 2008-09 status and selected working conditions or school 

2007-08 school year: 2008-09

Working condition or school 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

All private schools 302 384 9 8 226 241 1.10 0.36 

Hours per week spent on all school-related  activities Less than 45 282 239 † 128 182 5.60 †  45-54 369 366 5 9 150 121 2.02 0.66  55-59 210 201 3 4 9 8 6 8 3.05 0.89  60 or more 328 321 8 1 111 7 9 1.39 0.73 Hours per week spent interacting with  students Less than 10 350 309 5 6 133 178 2.92 0.83  10-19 287 254 4 0 150 9 7 2.22 0.53  20-24 217 213 4 5 5 3 7 4 2.82 1.36  25 or more 346 358 7 2 156 9 8 2.05 0.75 Professional development Participated in professional development  activities the past 12 months 350 341 9 7 194 156 1.02 0.42  Did not participate in professional  development activities the past 12 months 336 267 † 129 174 3.79 † The following problems occurred at least  once a month or more often: Physical conflicts among students 198 174 † 6 3 6 0 3.71 †  Student bullying 223 205 3 7 9 2 5 8 2.19 0.81  Student acts of disrespect for teachers 182 154 1 8 8 4 6 0 3.46 0.76 More than 50 percent of students had at least  one parent or guardian participate in the  following events: Open house or back-to-school night 405 400 8 0 193 154 1.03 0.36  Parent-teacher conference 391 404 8 7 210 163 1.16 0.39  Special subject-area events 360 350 9 0 187 146 1.04 0.45 † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 2007-08; "PData File," 2008-09.climate characteristic in 2007-08

Number Pe

Non-stayers 
A-9

Table A-6. Standard errors for Table 6: Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school principals who thought they had a major influe

various activities and who somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09 

Activity and job satisfaction characteristic 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All public schools 554 862 538 586 277 0.88 0.60 Activity in 2007-08 school year Setting performance standards for students  of this school 1,020 1,114 445 507 242 1.17 0.78  Establishing curriculum at this school 1,094 1,088 411 509 221 1.20 0.79  Determining the content of in-service  professional development programs  for teachers of this school 942 946 455 563 258 1.11 0.65  Evaluating teachers of this school 713 938 514 593 273 0.89 0.61  Hiring new full-time teachers of this school 727 943 520 573 259 0.93 0.63  Setting discipline policy at this school 811 960 528 560 267 0.94 0.66  Deciding how your school budget will be  spent 1,015 1,056 516 501 267 1.02 0.78 Job satisfaction characteristic in  2007-08 school year The stress and disappointments involved in serving as principal at this school aren’t  really worth it 745 645 252 256 109 2.00 1.50  The faculty and staff at this school like  being here; I would describe them as  a satisfied group 722 913 535 567 262 0.92 0.63  I like the way things are run in this district 778 828 463 543 204 1.02 0.63  If I could get a higher paying job I'd leave  education as soon as possible 728 618 266 376 128 2.20 1.46  I think about transferring to another school 822 657 264 336 190 2.05 1.29   I don’t seem to have as much enthusiasm  now as I did when I began my career as  a principal 851 708 282 413 144 1.96 1.19  I think about staying home from school  because I’m just too tired to go 605 543 161 233 104 2.58 1.48 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal File," 2007-08Data File," 2008-09.

Number Pe

Non-stayers 

in the 2007-08 school year
A-10

Table A-7. Standard errors for Table 7: Number and percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school principals who thought they had a major influ

various activities and who somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with various statements of job satisfaction in the 2007-08 school year: 2008-09 

Activity and job satisfaction characteristic 

Total Stayers Movers Leavers Other Stayers Movers 

 All private schools 302 384 9 8 226 241 1.10 0.36 Activity in 2007-08 school year Setting performance standards for students  of this school 347 353 100 203 205 1.15 0.41  Establishing curriculum at this school 299 334 9 6 206 196 1.13 0.41  Determining the content of in-service  professional development programs  for teachers of this school 393 414 8 7 236 158 1.07 0.37  Evaluating teachers of this school 358 406 9 9 206 210 1.00 0.38  Hiring new full-time teachers of this school 313 384 9 1 210 237 1.09 0.35  Setting discipline policy at this school 309 360 9 9 213 217 1.07 0.38  Deciding how your school budget will be  spent 336 355 9 1 203 214 1.22 0.40 Job satisfaction characteristic in  2007-08 school year The stress and disappointments involved in serving as principal at this school aren’t  really worth it 260 218 5 4 9 4 8 8 2.96 1.31  The faculty and staff at this school like  being here; I would describe them as  a satisfied group 341 396 9 7 229 228 1.17 0.38  If I could get a higher paying job I'd leave  education as soon as possible 212 179 4 5 106 8 7 4.40 1.67  I think about transferring to another school 190 164 6 7 8 3 7 8 3.00 1.74   I don’t seem to have as much enthusiasm  now as I did when I began my career as  a principal 278 243 5 5 124 101 2.14 0.85  I think about staying home from school  because I’m just too tired to go 186 156 3 3 6 6 5 5 2.77 1.17 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal File," 2007-0Status Data File," 2008-09.

Number Pe

Non-stayers 

in the 2007-08 school year
A-11

Table A-8. Standard errors for Table 8: Percentage distribution of public school principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience as 

and type of move: 2008-09

Total Less than 3 years 3-5 years 6-9 y

 All public school principal movers † † † Moved from a public school to another  public school in the same district 4.40 5.63 9.40 1 Moved from a public school to another public  school in a different school district 4.10 5.27 8.42 Moved from a public school to another  public school, district unknown 1.99 2.87 3.23 Moved from a public school to a private school † † 0.49 Moved from a public school to another  school, sector unknown † † † † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data FilePrincipal Status Data File," 2008-09. Type of move

Years of experience as a principal at 2007-0
A-12

Table A-9. Standard errors for Table 9: Percentage distribution of private school principals who moved to a different school, by total years of experience a

school and type of move: 2008-09

Total Less than 3 years 3-5 years 6-9 y

 All private school principal movers † † † Moved from a private school to a public school 3.81 † † Moved from a private school to another  private school 4.07 8.24 5.58 1Moved from a private school to another  school, sector unknown † † † † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data FilePrincipal Status Data File," 2008-09. Type of move

Years of experience as a principal at 2007-0
A-13

Table A-10. Standard errors for Table 10: Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of public school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principa

2008-09

Total Less than 3 years 3-5 years 6-

 All public school principal leavers † † † Status of all leavers Retired - not working outside of home 3.07 5.44 4.89  Deceased 0.26 † †  Not working outside of home and not retired 0.92 † †  Working in a K-12 school, but not as a principal 2.71 7.61 5.14  Working in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school 2.71 7.08 6.96  Working at a job outside of K-12 education 0.81 † 2.01 Status of leavers who were working in a position in a K-12 school, but not as a principal Working in current school, but not as a principal 5.47 † †  Working in a different public school, but not as a principal 6.90 10.04 16.48  Working in a private school, but not as a principal † † †  Working in a different school but not as a principal - unknown school type 5.90 † † Status of leavers who were working in a position in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school Working in a district or administrative office as a superintendent,  assistant superintendent, or other higher-level administrator 5.06 14.37 9.83  Working in a district or administrative office, in a position other than that of a superintendent, assistant superintendent, or other higher- level administrator 4.75 12.55 9.16  Working at a job associated with K-12 education, but not directly associated with any schools or school systems 2.65 † †  Position unknown † † † † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2007Status Data File," 2008-09.Status

Total years of experience as a principal in any s
A-14

Table A-11. Standard errors for Table 11: Percentage distribution of 2008-09 status of private school principal leavers, by total years of experience as a principa

2008-09

Total Less than 3 years 3-5 years 6-

 All private school principal leavers † † † Status of all leavers Retired - not working outside of home 3.69 † 7.36  Deceased † † †  Not working outside of home and not retired 1.08 † †  Working in a K-12 school, but not as a principal 3.57 7.87 9.14  Working in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school 1.66 † †  Working at a job outside of K-12 education 3.51 6.78 10.99 Status of leavers who were working in a position in a K-12 school, but not as a principal Working in current school, but not as a principal 6.43 10.51 18.17  Working in a public school, but not as a principal 5.19 8.91 †  Working in a different private school, but not as a principal 5.48 6.89 18.82  Working in a different school but not as a principal - unknown school type † † † Status of leavers who were working in a position in K-12 education, but not in a K-12 school Working in a district or administrative office as a superintendent,  assistant superintendent, or other higher-level administrator 13.95 † †  Working in a district or administrative office, in a position other than that of a superintendent, assistant superintendent, or other higher- level administrator 13.44 † †  Working at a job associated with K-12 education, but not directly associated with any schools or school systems † † †  Position unknown † † † † Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Private School Principal Data File," 200Status Data File," 2008-09.Status

Total years of experience as a principal in any s
B-1

Appendix B: Methodology and Technical Notes 
B-2

Overview of the Principal Follow-up Survey 

The Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), first conducted in school year 2008-09, is a 

component of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is sponsored by 

the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education 

Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education and is conducted by the U.S. Census 

Bureau. In order to provide a comprehensive picture of American public and private 

elementary and secondary schools and their staff, SASS has been collecting data on the 

characteristics of teachers, principals, schools, school districts, and library media centers 

since the 1987-88 school year. 

NCES created the PFS in order to provide attrition rates for principals in K-12 public, 

private, and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. The goal of the 2008-09 PFS was 

to assess how many principals in school year 2007-08 still worked as a principal in the 

same school in the 2008-09 school year, how many had moved to become a principal in 

another school, and how many had left the principal profession altogether. The PFS 

sample included all schools whose principals completed questionnaires in SASS. Schools 

that had returned a completed 2007-08 SASS principal questionnaire were mailed the 

PFS form in the spring of 2009. 

The PFS data produce national, regional, and state estimates for principals in public 

schools; national and regional estimates for principals in BIE schools; and national, 

regional, and affiliation estimates for principals in private schools. The PFS data files 

include responses to only the principal’s current occupational status and have been 

merged with the 2007-08 SASS principal data files for the convenience of data users. 

This combined data file can be merged with the other SASS data files (i.e., school 

district, schools, teachers, and library media centers) to provide a rich dataset for 

analyzing principals in K-12 schools in the United States. 

For more information about specific PFS-related topics discussed in this appendix, 

consult the Documentation for the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey (Battle et al. 

forthcoming). For more information about the 2007-08 SASS methodology, please see 

Documentation for the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (Tourkin et al. forthcoming) 

or the SASS website at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass. 

Sampling Frames and Sample Selection 

The 2008-09 PFS target population includes principals in public, public charter, private, 

and BIE-funded schools with students in any of grades K-12 or in comparable ungraded 

levels and in operation in the 2007-08 school year. All public, private, and BIE schools 

whose principal replied to the 2007-08 SASS principal questionnaires were included in 

the PFS sample. Therefore, any discussion of PFS methodology must include SASS 

methodology. 
B-3

SASS Sampling Frames and Sample Selection 

Public and BIE schools. The starting point for the 2007-08 SASS public school and BIE 

school sampling frame was the preliminary 2005-06 Common Core of Data (CCD)1

Nonfiscal School Universe data file. The CCD includes regular and nonregular schools 

(special education, alternative, vocational, or technical), public charter schools, and BIE 

schools. The sampling frame was adjusted from the CCD in order to fit the definition of a 

school eligible for SASS. To be eligible for SASS, a school was defined as an institution, 

or part of an institution, that provides classroom instruction to students; has one or more 

teachers to provide instruction; serves students in one or more of grades 1-12 or the 

ungraded equivalent; and is located in one or more buildings apart from a private home. It 

was possible for two or more schools to share the same building; in this case, they were 

treated as different schools if they had different administrators (i.e., principal or school 

head). 

The SASS definition of a school is generally similar to the CCD definition, with some 

exceptions. SASS is confined to the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and excludes 

the other jurisdictions and Department of Defense overseas schools. CCD includes some 

schools that do not offer teacher-provided classroom instruction in grades 1-12 or the 

ungraded equivalent. In some instances, schools in CCD are essentially administrative 

units that may oversee entities that provide classroom instruction or they may only 

provide funding and oversight. CCD schools with the same location, address, and phone 

number were collapsed during the SASS frame building on the assumption that the 

respondent would consider them to be one school. Because SASS allows schools to 

define themselves, Census Bureau staff observed that schools generally report as one 

entity in situations where the administration of two or more schools on CCD is the same. 

A set of rules was applied in certain states to determine in which instances school records 

should be collapsed together. When school records were collapsed together, the student 

and teacher counts, grade ranges, and names as reported to CCD were all modified to 

reflect the change. 

Finally, additional school records were added to the sampling frame. Most of these 

records were for Career Technical Centers or alternative, special education, or juvenile 

justice facilities in California, Pennsylvania, New York, and other states. For a detailed 

list of frame modifications, see the Documentation for the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing 

Survey (Tourkin et al. forthcoming). After adding, deleting, and collapsing school 

records, the SASS public school sampling frame consisted of about 90,410 traditional 

public schools, 3,850 public charter schools, and 180 BIE schools. 

The SASS sample is a stratified probability-proportionate-to-size (PPS) sample. With the 

exception of BIE schools, all schools underwent multiple levels of stratification.2

The

sample was allocated so that national-, regional-, and state-level elementary, secondary, 

and combined public school estimates could be made. The sample was allocated to each 

 

1

 For more information about the CCD, see http://nces.ed.gov/ccd. 

2

 BIE schools that fit the SASS definition of a school were included in the 2007-08 SASS public school 

sample with certainty. 
B-4

state by grade range (elementary, secondary, and combined) and school type (traditional 

public, public charter, BIE-funded, and schools with high American Indian enrollment). 

For a full description of the allocation procedure, see the Documentation for the 2007-08

Schools and Staffing Survey (Tourkin et al. forthcoming). Within each stratum, all nonBIE schools were systematically selected using a PPS algorithm. The measure of size 

used for the schools was the square root of the number of full-time-equivalent teachers 

reported, or imputed for each school during the sampling frame creation. Any school with 

a measure of size greater than the sampling interval (the inverse of the rate at which the 

sample is selected) was included in the sample with certainty and thus automatically 

excluded from the probability sampling operation. (For a more detailed explanation of 

PPS sampling, consult Sampling Techniques [Cochran 1977].) These sampling 

procedures resulted in a total public school sample of about 9,800 public schools 

(including both traditional public and public charter schools) and 180 BIE schools in the 

2007-08 SASS.

Private schools. The 2007-08 SASS private school frame was based on the 2005-06 

Private School Universe Survey (PSS).3

The PSS is designed to generate biennial data on 

the total number of private schools, students, and teachers and to build a universe of 

private schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia to serve as a sampling frame 

of private schools for NCES sample surveys, such as SASS. Prior to each PSS collection, 

NCES updates the list of schools to be included in the PSS by collecting membership lists 

from private school associations and religious denominations, as well as private school 

lists from state education departments. This list-frame update is intended to improve 

coverage of new private schools and private schools previously not included in the PSS. 

Since the list-frame update for the 2007-08 PSS preceded the SASS frame building, the 

SASS private school sample frame was augmented with the private schools discovered 

during the PSS list-frame update. The SASS private school frame also includes schools in 

the 2005-06 PSS area frame. This area frame includes schools that were overlooked in 

the list-building operation. In a sample of 124 geographical areas (out of 2,062), local 

field staff used such resources as local telephone directories, local resource guides, etc., 

to identify schools. The resultant lists of schools were matched to the PSS list frame, and 

any school that was not part of the list frame was added as an area frame school. 

During the creation of the SASS private school sampling frame, schools with 

kindergarten as the highest grade level were deleted from the frame. Also, private school 

records that were missing information necessary for the SASS school sample selection 

were amended. For example, the school grade range was needed to stratify SASS schools 

during the private school sampling process. If the data on school grade range were 

missing, values were assigned in one of four ways: taking information from earlier PSS 

data, using information from the school’s name (e.g., middle school) to assign a grade

range, calling the school to assign a specific grade range, or, as a last resort, assigning a 

grade level of combined (both elementary and secondary levels). Missing information on 

school affiliation and student and teacher counts were assigned in a similar manner. After 

these changes, the private school sampling frame consisted of 28,490 private schools. 

Private schools were stratified by affiliation, grade level (elementary, secondary, and 

 

3

 For more information about the PSS, see http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss. 
B-5

combined), and census region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West). The number of 

private school affiliation strata was reduced from 17 in 2003-04 to 11 in 2007-08. The 

current affiliation strata include 

Catholic – parochial; 

Catholic – diocesan; 

Catholic – private; 

Baptist; 

Jewish;

Lutheran; 

Seventh-Day Adventist; 

Other religious; 

Nonsectarian – regular; 

Nonsectarian – special emphasis; and 

Nonsectarian – special education. 

Within each stratum, private schools in the list frame were systematically selected using a 

PPS algorithm. The measure of size used was the square root of the number of full-timeequivalent teachers. Any school with a measure of size larger than the sampling interval 

was excluded from the probability sampling process and included in the sample with 

certainty. About 2,940 private schools were sampled, 2,760 from the list frame and 180 

from the 2005-06 PSS area frame. 

Principals. In the 2007-08 SASS, the principal of each sampled school was automatically 

selected. About 12,910 school principals were sampled (9,800 public, 180 BIE, and 2,940

private) (detail may not sum to totals because of rounding). The 2008-09 PFS sample 

included all schools whose principals were interviewed in SASS. 

Data Collection Procedures 

The 2008-09 PFS primarily utilized a mail-based collection methodology, with telephone 

follow-up for nonrespondents. Interviewers were provided with classroom training 

(including a portion intended for self-study) and a call script to follow for the telephone 

follow-up. Approximately 9,480 schools were contacted for this survey (7,460 public, 

130 BIE, and 1,890 private); 2,700 in-scope schools were not included because the 

principal did not respond to the Principal Questionnaire during the 2007-08 SASS; and 

730 schools were deemed out-of-scope for 2007-08 SASS and not included in 2008-09 

PFS. 

Beginning in February 2009, customized letters were mailed to districts that required 

special procedures for school participation in education research. Some schools required 

special procedures, such as formal approval from their district, before they were allowed 

to participate in the survey. These advance letters were sent to 18 districts containing 278 

sampled PFS schools. 

In March 2009, an introductory letter and the Principal Status Form (i.e., the survey 

questionnaire), were mailed to sampled schools. The letter was addressed to the principal, 
B-6

or if the principal’s name had not been provided during the 2007-08 SASS data collection 

it was addressed to the “School Principal/Administrator” for public schools and the 

“School Head/Principal” for private schools. Due to overlap with another NCES survey 

of principals, customized letters were mailed to certain schools (73 schools sampled in 

the PFS were also sampled in the other survey.) In order to boost response among those 

schools sampled in the two surveys, a letter was drafted for these schools explaining they 

had been selected for two separate, but similar, surveys, and requesting their 

participation. All questionnaires were mailed in an envelope with the Department of 

Education and SASS logos, but the envelope did not include a direct reference to the 

name of the survey. The letter introduced the survey and asked the school to complete 

and mail the questionnaire in the return envelope. 

In mid-March 2009, a reminder letter and a second copy of the Principal Status Form 

were mailed to all sampled schools. Schools that had already returned a completed 

questionnaire were thanked and instructed to disregard the second copy. Telephone 

nonresponse follow-up of schools was conducted from March to April 2009. Although all 

follow-up was completed prior to May, mailed questionnaires were accepted through 

early June 2009. Data collection officially ended in June 2009. 

Data Processing

Respondents were encouraged to complete and mail back the Principal Status Form sent 

to the school. Questionnaires mailed to the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center 

(NPC) were immediately checked into the Automatic Tracking and Control (ATAC) 

system by clerical staff. Questionnaires received an outcome code of “complete” if the 

principal’s current occupational status was answered. Additional outcome codes included 

refusals, blanks, duplicates, and Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA). For non-responding 

schools, Census Bureau telephone interviewers updated the status of cases during data 

collection and assigned an outcome code indicating the status (unable to contact, refusal, 

etc.) of each questionnaire using a paper-based tracking system. Once the status updating 

was completed, all questionnaires were shipped to the Census Bureau clerical processing 

staff at the NPC. There, the cases were assigned a check-in code that indicated their 

completion status. 

The data were converted from paper to electronic format using manual data keying and 

imaging technology, facilitated by the ATAC system. Finally, the combined responses to 

the two questions on the Principal Status Form were recorded in the ATAC system and 

sent to Census Bureau analysts in Suitland, Maryland. 

Description of Data Files 

The 2008-09 PFS data are being released in three restricted-use data files (for public 

school, BIE school, and private school principals). These data files were created from two 

survey questionnaires: the Principal Status Form for Public Schools and the School 

Head/Principal Status Form for Private Schools. 
B-7

Table B-1 identifies each data file and the questionnaire data used to build the file. 

Table B-1. Names of restricted-use data files and the questionnaires from which the data were drawn: 2007-08 and 

2008-09

Data file Questionnaire source

Public school principal status Principal Status Form for Public Schools and 

2007-08 SASS Principal Questionnaire

BIE school principal status Principal Status Form for Public Schools and 

2007-08 SASS Principal Questionnaire

Private school principal status School Head/Principal Status Form for Private Schools and

2007-08 SASS Private School Principal Questionnaire

NOTE: The principal status files include the 2007-08 SASS principal data files. BIE school refers to schools funded by 

the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) that are operated by the BIE, a tribe, or a private contractor and not by a regular 

school district.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), 

"Public School Principal Status, BIE School Principal Status, and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2008-09.

The PFS data files include responses to only question 1 from the questionnaires. For 

reasons of confidentiality, question 2 is not included on the data files. Question 1 asked 

for the principals’ status during the 2008-09 school year and question 2 asked for the 

name of the principal for the 2007-08 school year. The PFS data files have been merged 

with the 2007-08 SASS principal data files for the convenience of data users. This 

combined data file can be merged with the other SASS data files (i.e., school districts, 

schools, teachers, and library media centers) to provide a rich dataset for analyzing 

principals in K-12 schools in the United States. For information on how to merge these 

files consult the Documentation for the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey (Battle et al. 

forthcoming).

Instructions for obtaining or amending Restricted-use Data Licenses can be found at 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/licenses.asp. 

Response Rates 

Unit response rate. The unit response rate is the rate at which the sampled units respond 

by completing the questionnaire. For the two-question form used for the 2008-09 PFS, 

any questionnaire with question 1 answered was considered a complete interview. There 

were no out-of-scope cases in this survey. The weighted unit response rate was produced 

by dividing the base-weighted number of respondents who completed the questionnaires 

by the base-weighted number of eligible sampled cases.4The base weight for each 

sampled unit is the inverse of the probability of selection. 

Overall response rate. The overall response rate represents the response rate to the PFS 

taking into consideration each stage of data collection. To be eligible for the PFS, it was 

necessary for the principal to have responded to the SASS principal questionnaire. Thus, 

the overall unit response rate is the product of the sampled PFS unit response rate 

 

4

 For the formula used to calculate the unit response rate, see the NCES Statistical Standards (U.S. Department 

of Education 2003). 
B-8

multiplied by the SASS principal questionnaire unit response rate. The product of these 

gives the cumulative nonresponse. The overall unit response rate was calculated using 

base-weights. 

Table B-2 summarizes the base-weighted unit response rates for the PFS and SASS and 

the base-weighted overall unit response rate for each survey population. 

Table B-2. Base weighted unit and overall unit response rates, by sector: 2007-08 and 2008-09

Base weighted SASS Base weighted PFS Base weighted overall

unit response rate unit response rate unit response rate

Public School Principals 79.4 99.4 78.9

Private Schools Principals 72.2 97.1 70.1

BIE Schools Principals 79.2 99.2 78.6

NOTE: Response rates were weighted using the inverse of the probability of selection. PFS refers to the 

Principal Follow-up Survey. BIE refers to schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) which 

are operated by the BIE, a tribe, or a private contractor and not by a regular school district. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing 

Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal, BIE School Principal, Private School Principal Documentation 

Data Files," 2007-08; "Public School Principal Status, BIE School Principal Status, and Private School 

Principal Status Documentation Data Files," 2008-09.

Survey population

Unit nonresponse bias analysis. Because the NCES Statistical Standards (4-4) require 

analysis of nonresponse bias for any survey stage with a base-weighted response rate less 

than 85 percent, all SASS principals files were evaluated for potential bias. Comparisons 

between the frame and respondent populations were made before and after the 

nonresponse weighting adjustments were applied in order to evaluate the extent to which 

the adjustments reduced or eliminated nonresponse bias. For results of, and detailed 

information on, this analysis, refer to chapter 6 of the Documentation for the 2007-08 

Schools and Staffing Survey (Tourkin et al. forthcoming). Due to the high response rates 

for the 2008-09 PFS, a bias analysis was not necessary for the follow-up survey. 

Item response rate. The item response rate indicates the percentage of respondents who 

answered a given survey item. The weighted item response rate is produced by dividing 

the number of sampled cases responding to an item by the number of sampled cases 

eligible to answer the item and adjusting this rate by the base weight.5

The base weight 

for each sampled unit is the inverse of the probability of selection. 

For the PFS, only a response to the principal’s current occupational status is needed for 

an interview to be considered complete. Therefore, the item response rate of question 1 is 

the same as the unit response rate. 

 

5

 For the formula used to calculate the item response rate, see the NCES Statistical Standards (U.S. Department 

of Education 2003). 
B-9

Weighting

The general purpose of weighting is to scale up the sample estimates to represent the 

target survey population. Most components of the weighting process employ weighting 

classes in the calculation of the weighting adjustment factors. Weighting classes allow 

differential adjustment factors to be computed for the same weighting component. This 

technique is especially useful when the computed factors are presumed to differ 

substantially, such as when patterns of nonresponse vary across subpopulations. 

Because the PFS instrument was sent to all schools whose principals were interviewed in 

SASS, new weights were not calculated. Therefore, the 2007-08 SASS public, private, 

and BIE principal weights should be used when analyzing the public, private, and BIE 

principal status data files, respectively. This weight to be used on all principal status data 

files is AFNLWGT. For more information on SASS weighting, please refer to the 

Documentation for the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (Tourkin et al. forthcoming).

Variance Estimation 

In surveys with complex sample designs, such as SASS, direct estimates of sampling 

errors that assume a simple random sample will typically underestimate the variability in 

the estimates. The SASS sample design and estimation include procedures that deviate 

from the assumption of simple random sampling, such as stratifying the school sample, 

oversampling new teachers, and sampling with differential probabilities. Therefore, to 

accurately estimate variance, users must employ special calculations. 

One method of calculating sampling errors of complex sample designs is replication. 

Replication methods involve constructing a number of subsamples (i.e., replicates) from 

the full sample and computing the statistic of interest for each replicate. The mean square 

error of the replicate estimates around the full sample estimate provides an estimate of the 

variance of the statistic. Each SASS data file includes a set of 88 replicate weights 

designed to produce variance estimates; they were created using the same estimation 

procedures used for the full sample. 

New replicate weights were not assigned to the 2008-09 PFS. Instead, the 2007-08 SASS 

public, private, and BIE principal replicate weights should be used when analyzing the 

public, private, and BIE principal status data files, respectively. These weights are 

AREPWT1-AREPWT88. 

Reliability of Data

PFS estimates are based on samples. The sample estimates may differ somewhat from the 

values that would be obtained from the universe of respondents using the same 

questionnaire, instructions, and field representatives. The difference occurs because a 

sample survey estimate is subject to two types of errors: nonsampling and sampling. 

Estimates of the magnitude of sampling error for PFS data can be derived or calculated. 
B-10

Nonsampling errors are attributed to many sources, including definitional difficulties, the 

inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, differences in 

the interpretation of questions, an inability to recall information, errors made in collection 

(e.g., in recording or coding the data), errors made in processing the data, and errors 

made in estimating values for missing data. Quality control and edit procedures were 

used to reduce errors made by respondents, coders, and interviewers. 
C-1

Appendix C: Description of Variables 
C-2

Description of Variables 

The variables that are included in this report are listed in table C-1. Those with variable 

names that begin with “A” and are followed by four digits are survey variables from the 

2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) principal questionnaires. For these 

variables, the numeric part of the variable name can be found in the SASS principal 

questionnaires to the left of the corresponding question. The variables without the letter 

plus four digit names are “created variables,” meaning they were created using survey 

variables, frame variables (variables taken from the sampling frame), other created 

variables, or a combination of these. They are frequently used in National Center for 

Education Statistics (NCES) publications and have been added to the data files to 

facilitate data analysis. The only Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) survey variable, 

“STATUS,” does not follow the naming convention of SASS. The definitions for the PFS 

survey variable and the PFS and SASS created variables follow table C-1. 

Table C-1. Variables used in the Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results From the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey report: 

2008-09

Variable

name in data file

Annual salary A0249

Charter school identifier CHARFLAG

Four-category principal status in 2008-09 STATUS_P4

Highest degree earned A0032

Hours spent per week interacting with students A0226

Hours spent per week on school related activities A0225

I don't seem to have as much enthusiasm now as I did when I began my 

 career as a principal A0234

I like the way things are run in this district A0231

I think about staying home from school because I'm just too tired to go A0235

I think about transferring to another school A0233

If I could get a higher paying job I'd leave education as soon as possible A0232

Parent or guardian attended an open house or back-to-school night A0153

Parent or guardian attended a parent-teacher conference A0154

Parent or guardian attended a special subject event A0155

Participated in professional development activities the past 12 months A0034

Percentage of students in the school approved for National School Lunch Program NSLAPP_S

Physical conflicts among students A0140

Principal's age AGE_P

Principal's influence on deciding how your school budget will be spent A0089

Principal's influence on determining the content of in-service professional 

 development programs for teachers of this school A0060

Principal's influence on establishing curriculum at this school A0053

See notes at end of table. 

Variable
C-3

Table C-1. Variables used in the Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results From the 2008-09 Principal Follow-up Survey report: 

2008-09—Continued

Variable

name in data file

Principal's influence on evaluating teachers of this school A0068

Principal's influence on hiring new full-time teachers of this school A0075

Principal's influence on setting discipline policy at this school A0082

Principal's influence on setting performance standards for students of this school A0046

Principal's interview status ISR_PF

Principal's race/ethnicity RACETH_P

Principal’s sex A0240

Principal's status in 2008-09 school year (question 1) STATUS

Represented under a meet-and-confer or collective bargaining agreement A0228

Student bullying A0148

Student disrespect for teachers A0151

Student enrollment SCHSIZE

The faculty and staff at this school like being here; I would describe them 

 as a satisfied group A0230

The stress and disappointments involved in serving as a principal at this 

 school aren't really worth it A0229

Three-category private school typology RELIG

Three-category school level SCHLEVEL

Total years of experience as a school principal A0025

Total years of experience as a school principal at current school A0026

Urban-centric school locale code URBANS12

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public 

School Principal, BIE School Principal, and Private School Principal Data Files," 2007-08; "Public School Principal Status, BIE 

School Principal Status, and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2008-09.

Variable

Charter school identifier (CHARFLAG): A SASS created variable that identifies 

charter schools. 1 = School is a public charter school, 2 = School is a traditional public 

school. A charter school is a public school that, in accordance with an enabling state 

statute, has been granted a charter exempting it from selected state or local rules and 

regulation. CHARFLAG is based on S0230 from the public school and BIE school data 

files. 

Four-category principal status in 2008-09 (STATUS_P4): A PFS created variable. 

Respondents to the PFS are classified as stayers, movers, leavers, or other. 1 = stayer, 

2 = mover, 3 = leaver, 4 = other. Stayers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in 

the same schools in 2008-09. Movers are 2007-08 principals who were principals in 

different schools in 2008-09. Leavers are 2007-08 principals who were no longer 

principals in 2008-09. “Other” includes principals who had left their 2007-08 school, but 

for whom it was not possible to determine a mover or leaver status in 2008-09. 
C-4

Percentage of students in the school approved for the National School Lunch 

Program (NSLAPP_S): A SASS created variable taken from the public, private, and 

BIE school data files, NSLAPP_S is a continuous variable created by dividing the 

number of students approved for free or reduced-price lunches (S0217) by the total 

number of K-12 grade students enrolled (S0047) among schools that participated in the 

National School Lunch Program (NSLP) (S0215=1). Schools that did not participate in 

the NSLP have valid skip values and are reported separately in the tables. For public 

schools in this report, NSLAPP_S is recoded as a categorical variable describing the 

proportion of students approved for free or reduced price lunches. For private schools in 

this report, NSLAPP_S is recoded as dichotomous variable of schools that participated 

and did not participate. 

Principal’s age (AGE_P): A SASS created variable based on respondents’ reported year 

of birth. AGE_P is a continuous variable that was created by subtracting the principals’

reported years of birth (A0248) from the year of data collection (2007). 

Principal interview status (ISR_PF): A PFS created variable for the interview status of 

the PFS respondent, which is an aggregation of the variable Principal’s status in the 

2008-09 school year (STATUS). Categories include: 1 = Interview and 2 = 

Noninterview. There were no out-of-scope cases in this survey. 

Principal’s race/ethnicity (RACETH_P): A SASS created variable based on 

respondents’ reported race and ethnicity (A0241-A0246). The 2007-08 SASS allowed 

respondents to mark more than one racial category. Recoded into four categories for this 

report: Hispanic, regardless of race; White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; and 

Other. The category “Other” includes American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic; 

Asian, non-Hispanic; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic; or More 

than one race, non-Hispanic. 

Principal’s status in the 2008-09 school year (question 1) (STATUS): A PFS survey 

variable based on the status of the 2007-08 principal in the 2008-09 school year. This 34 

level variable corresponds to question 1 on the principal status forms (see appendix D). 

Student enrollment (SCHSIZE): A SASS created variable taken from the public, 

private, and BIE school data files, SCHSIZE is a continuous variable based on the 

number of K-12 and ungraded students enrolled in a respondent’s school (S0047). For 

this report, SCHSIZE was recoded into six categories for public schools and five 

categories for private schools. 

Three-category private school typology (RELIG): A SASS created variable taken from 

the private school data file, RELIG is a three-category variable based on the variables 

that identify the religious or nonreligious orientation of a private school (S0440-S0441): 

Catholic, Other religious, or Nonsectarian. 

Three-category school level (SCHLEVEL): A SASS created variable taken from the 

public, private, and BIE school data files, SCHLEVEL is a three-category variable based 

on grades reported by the school: Elementary, secondary, and combined. Elementary 
C-5

schools are those with any of grades K-6 and none of grades 9-12. Secondary schools 

have any of grades 7-12 and none of grades K-6. Combined schools are those schools 

with grade levels in both elementary and secondary grade levels, or with all students in 

ungraded classrooms. 

Urban-centric school locale code (URBANS12): A SASS frame variable taken from the 

public, private, and BIE school data files, URBANS12 is a created variable collapsed 

from the 12 category urban-centric school locale code (SCLOP_07) which was assigned 

using the 2000 Decennial Census data and recoded into four categories: city, suburban, 

town, and rural. 
D-1

Appendix D: 2008–09 Principal Status Forms 
D-2
D-3
D-4
D-5