Purpose: The purpose of this article is to estimate the relationship between principal quality and turnover. Principals can have potentially large effects on student outcomes. When school leaders leave their roles, they cause disruptive effects to the school's climate. If effective principals are more likely to leave, the negative effects of…

The National Center for Education Statistics 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey examined the prior work experience of elementary and secondary public school principals. The survey found that 98.7 percent of principals had taught an average of 10.6 years before taking their administrative positions. The number of years of teaching increased with…