The arrival of a new principal and the school staff: The former principal and the first weeks in post

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ responses to the arrival of new principals (NPs) into their school. More specifically, the paper poses three questions: How do teachers perceive the arrival of an NP into their school? How do teachers cope with the arrival of an NP? What are the factors affecting teachers’ responses towards the arrival of an NP?

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Israeli teachers who experienced the arrival of an NP into their school during the last three years.

Findings

The perceived image of the former principal in the teachers’ lounge and the manner in which s/he left principalship seem to greatly influence teachers’ responses towards the NP. Likewise, the first personal conversations of the NP with the teachers are highly influential on their responses to his/her arrival into their school.

Originality/value

The paper sheds light on the critical role of emotions towards the former principal in the induction stages of NPs.

Citation

Oplatka, I. and Ben Or, H. (2020), "The arrival of a new principal and the school staff: The former principal and the first weeks in post", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 492-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2019-0169