Effective principals can improve school climate, increase teacher retention rates and performance, and as a result, improve student achievement. However, to do that, most principals have to stay in place for more than a year or two. There are times when school district leaders find that shuffling principals is valuable to the district as a whole. However, principal discontent and turnover at a school affects the whole climate and replacing a principal altogether is an expensive and time-consuming proposition. Some estimates place that cost at roughly $75,000.
