And there are not enough young educators coming up the ranks who want the job, especially those in their 30s and 40s who have young families and want a life outside of their school building. Contributing to the problem are long hours and low pay. Most principals agree, however, that the main problem is the working conditions. Principals are expected to analyze multi-million dollar budgets and dissect the effectiveness of the latest shift in curriculum and teaching methodology. They are expected to make an appearance at nearly every school activity.
Principals suffer burnout at increasing rates and see less and less of their own families.
Only 37 percent said low scores on standardized tests would inspire action. Nearly 70 percent said they had three hours a week or less to help schools. The Bush administration has decided to enforce a previously ignored law denying federal financial aid to college students with drug convictions. Hundreds of thousands of applicants who did not answer a drug conviction question on their forms were not denied aid during the Clinton administration. Now, failure to answer the question will result in rejection.