Organizational commitment has been a topic of extensive interest in the organizational behavior literature since the 1950's. It has been associated with workforce stability, decreased absenteeism, organizational citizenship behaviors, and decreased turnover. This study focuses on the relationships between organizational commitment and turnover; particularly amongst K-12 school principals. A principal of a school is much like the CEO of a company. Principals impact schools in many ways. They supervise staff, develop culture, implement and enforce rules, guide instruction and ensure that all students receive a quality education. The United States is facing a shortage of principals. Many principals are nearing retirement age. Others are simply choosing to leave the profession. In many cases there are shortages of applicants and/or qualified candidates for available positions. Many teachers hold administrative credentials but, for various reasons, choose not to pursue the principalship. School systems are facing difficulties filling principal positions. One potential solution is to endeavor to keep current principals on the job. Organizational commitment is highly correlated with intent to stay; promoting the suggestion that schools may retain principals for longer periods where organizational commitment is significantly higher. This study focuses on the impact of job autonomy, psychological empowerment, and distributive justice on organizational commitment. The study uses data from a webbased survey of 1,078 principals. The data were collected from K-12 principals in the Midwest United States. The sample includes elementary and secondary principals from public, private/parochial schools, and charter schools. Hypotheses regarding the impact of job autonomy, psychological empowerment, and distributive justice on organizational commitment were tested using multiple regression and path analysis. Increases in each of these variables were found to be ABSTRACT Organizational commitment has been a topic of extensive interest in the organizational behavior literature since the 1950's. It has been associated with workforce stability, decreased absenteeism, organizational citizenship behaviors, and decreased turnover. This study focuses on the relationships between organizational commitment and turnover; particularly amongst K-12 school principals. A principal of a school is much like the CEO of a company. Principals impact schools in many ways. They supervise staff, develop culture, implement and enforce rules, guide instruction and ensure that all students receive a quality education. The United States is facing a shortage of principals. Many principals are nearing retirement age. Others are simply choosing to leave the profession. In many cases there are shortages of applicants and/or qualified candidates for available positions. Many teachers hold administrative credentials but, for various reasons, choose not to pursue the principalship. School systems are facing difficulties filling principal positions. One potential sol...

This study explores ways high school principals are responding to the demands of education reform to raise student test scores on achievement tests used for accountability purposes. Anecdotal evidence suggests administrators have instituted pizza parties and pep rallies to motivate students to do their best and practice tests to prepare students academically. We interviewed principals to find out how they are both motivating and preparing their students for high-stakes tests. The goal of this research is to investigate how widespread these and other activities are and to see if the principals believe these strategies are indeed raising scores.

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