Principal succession in schools: A literature review (2003–2019)

Abstract

Principal succession is an inevitable phenomenon in school systems. Given the relevance of principal succession for leadership quality and school improvement, there has been a lack of research in recent decades that has synthesized principal succession. This study aims to review the literature from 2003 to 2019 on principal succession in schools. Using a systematic review as the methodological approach, the eight core educational management and administration leadership journals were selected to collect the sources. Among this corpus of data, four main topics emerged: (a) factors affecting principal succession; (b) the dilemma between change and continuity; (c) the impact of principal succession on teachers; and (d) the evaluation of succession programs. We found that the volume of evidence on principal succession in K-12 schools is low and narrow, even with the importance of the topic. Given the increasingly common pattern of principal movements across the school system, it is urgent to research principal succession in greater detail. Otherwise, the association between principal succession and school failure will be maintained.