“Over the last two years, the challenges and traumas of leading through the pandemic and racial reckoning have left many principals of color exhausted, disappointed, and feeling detached,” writes Equity Officer Dr. Mary Rice-Boothe in her article 4 Ways to Support Principals of Color published on Edutopia.org. “This points to a looming retention problem for school leaders of color at a time when they are already scarce and desperately needed.”
In the piece, Dr. Rice-Boothe details the importance of principal racial and ethnic diversity for teacher hiring, retention, and job attitudes. She offers four critical steps that district leaders can take to retain Black and Latino school leaders, drawing on her research and experience supporting leaders of color as well as her own expertise as a former principal of color.
“Being a school leader of color is not easy. But retaining them doesn’t need to be hard,” she writes. “Make these strategic investments– our young people deserve nothing less.”