Scofield is a good example of how a strong principal can turn a school around. Unfortunately, for schools around the country, there are fewer people interested in becoming a principal than ever before, while the pressure to do a better job of educating students continues to build. That has left the city scrambling for qualified replacements. New York City faced a similar shortage this past fall when it opened schools with 165 principals of 1000 not certified. The shortage has hit big urban schools the hardest, but it's a problem nationwide, happening in suburban and rural schools, elementary and middle schools, as well as high schools.
Demographics is one factor.
Lots of baby boomers went into education and are now retiring. In the next decade 40 percent of the principals now in jobs will retire. Gerald Tirozzi is executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. It's a job that is very demanding on time, time away from family, and we're finding across this country that more and more people are really not interested in going into the principal ship. I like to say we have really lost the will.