MAGNET SCHOOLS: THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the attitudes of elementary and middle school principals toward magnet programs they administer. Using a qualitative study methodology, in which fifteen magnet school principals were interviewed face-to-face through the use of a structured questionnaire, the following major areas of interest were explored: (a) the principals' perceptions of their roles as administrators of magnet schools, (b) the external and internal factors that enhance or impede their roles, (c) the positive and negative aspects of being associated with a magnet school, and (d) the relationship of demographic data about principals to other factors. The findings revealed that principals held similar attitudes toward magnet programs. While most respondents indicated positive attitudes toward magnet programs and believed theirs to be successful, a majority also raised similar issues, problems, and needs particular to the administration of them. Major concerns voiced by principals surveyed were the high rate of stress and burnout on the job, changes in their relationships to other principals in nonmagnet schools, and changes in the traditional role played by the principal. One major finding of the study was that more experienced principals held more negative attitudes than less experienced ones, with principals administering school-within-a-school magnet program models expressing the most dissatisfaction. Another major finding was that principals universally felt their roles to be altered by increased parental intervention, as well as by duties pertaining specifically to the magnet program that caused them to be more of a salesperson and public relations specialist than an instructional leader. An important implication of this study is that special characteristics beyond those normally sought in principals of elementary and middle schools could be considered when selecting an administrator for a magnet, namely an ability to work under sustained stress, sell the program, go beyond the limits of the school to solve its problems, and to seek and maintain resources to support the program.