How Principals in Public and Private Schools Used Their Time in 2011–12

-

In school year 2011-12, public and private school principals reported spending a larger percentage of time on internal administrative tasks, than on any other type of task. The data show that private school principals (34 percent) spent a greater proportion of their time on internal administrative tasks than public school principals (31 percent).

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the results today (Dec. 19) in a new report, How Principals in Public and Private Schools Use Their Time: 2011–12. This Statistics in Brief examines the mean percentage of time that principals reported spending on various activities in the 2011–12 school year, both overall and by selected school, staffing, and principal characteristics.

Key findings from school year 2011-12 include:

• Compared to private school principals, public school principals allocated smaller percentages of time to internal administrative tasks and parent interactions and a larger percentage of time to student interactions. There were no measurable differences in the percentages of time that public and private school principals reported that they spent on curriculum and teaching-related tasks;

• Principals in public schools with at least one assistance principal spent a smaller percentage of time on student interactions than their peers in schools with no assistant principals; and

• In public schools, principals with a bachelor’s degree or less reported spending a smaller percentage of time on curriculum and teaching-related tasks than principals with a higher degree. However, in private schools, principals with a bachelor’s degree or less reported spending a larger percentage of time on curriculum and teaching-related tasks than principals with a higher degree.

This Statistics in Brief uses data from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The SASS has been replaced by the National Teacher and Principal Survey. The latest survey results on public school principals can be found on the NCES website.