Education Week - March 16, 2022 - 4

What's Behind the Drop in Trust for Principals?
A national survey finds faith
in K-12 principals is down
By Denisa R. Superville
Public confidence in K-12 principals
has fallen during the pandemic, with a
sharper decline among Republican and
Republican-leaning Independents, part
of an overall drop in trust in public institutions
and experts.
Just 52 percent of Republican and
Republican-leaning Independents expressed
" a great deal or fair amount " of
faith, according to recent survey data released
by the Pew Research Center. And
47 percent said reported having " not too
much or no confidence " in public school
leaders.
Among Democrats and Democraticleaning
Independents, trust in K-12
school leaders was higher but still lower
than prepandemic levels among this
group. Seventy-six percent of Democrats
and Democratic-leaning Independents
said they had " a great deal or fair
amount " of faith in public school leaders
in the new poll, based on a survey done
in late November and early December.
The erosion of confidence in K-12 principals
mirrors a decline in trust in experts
such as scientists and medical scientists
in particular, the military, police officers,
religious leaders, business leaders, and
elected officials since the pandemic
started, according to the Pew survey
data.
" The decline in confidence that you
are seeing among Republicans in K-12
principals isn't limited to that one group
of people, " said John Gramlich, a senior
writer/editor at Pew, who's written about
the findings.
" It's happening across the board, in
other groups, too, including higher education,
scientists. All sorts of societal
institutions are seeing a decline in trust
among Republicans in particular. "
Despite the drop in confidence for K-12
principals, the public trusts principals
more than religious leaders, journalists,
business leaders, and elected officials.
But principals ranked lower than medical
scientists, scientists, the military, and
police officers.
College-educated voters tended to
have more confidence in K-12 principals,
and a majority across all racial and ethnic
groups had faith in principals. But the
sharp difference was along partisan lines
that seem to have hardened during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Drop coincides with partisan
pressures on K-12 leaders
Principals have traditionally enjoyed
high confidence from the American
public. In a survey published 2019, based
on 2018 data, Pew found that principals
were the most trusted among a specific
group of public officials-more than military
and religious leaders and politicians.
The survey asked about which officials
were most likely to care about the public,
give fair and accurate information, and
be good stewards of resources.
Even in April 2020, in the early days of
the pandemic, 87 percent of Democrats
and Democratic-leaning Independents,
long with 79 percent of Republican and
Republican-leaning Independents, said
they had " a great deal or fair amount " of
trust in principals, Pew found.
That large drop from then to the most
recent survey was surprising, Gramlich
said.
" We have seen partisan polarization
around higher ed. in recent years, " he
said. " I think we were surprised to see the
extent to which this partisanship seems
to be hitting K-12 schools now, too. "
Gramlich emphasized that the decline
is not limited to one party.
" Is this just about [critical race theory]
or mask mandates? " he asked. " It's a little
hard to figure out exactly what's going
on here because we are seeing this decline
in confidence in both parties since
the pandemic began. "
The pandemic has become increasingly
politicized, with support for and disagreement
with COVID-19-mitigation measures
falling largely along party lines.
Pew's recent polling found differences
in Republican and Democratic responses
to educating students amid the pandemic
and factors that districts should
weigh when deciding whether to hold
class in person or remotely, according to
Gramlich. Republicans were more likely
than Democrats to support in-person
schooling.
School districts have also become the
battleground for larger political fights
about social justice and how race and
racism are taught in K-12.
Principals are caught in the middle
School leaders have very little to no
control over many of the issues that are
at the center of these debates, including
whether students wear masks in school,
learn remotely, or even how racism and
race are taught. Still, that hasn't shielded
them from the fallout.
Lindsay Whorton, the president of the
Texas-based Holdsworth Center, which
provides professional-development programs
for school and district leaders, cautioned
that the data should be examined
in the larger context of an overall decline
in confidence in public institutions.
" It reflects a broader pattern in our society,
which is why I think [it's] important
for principals to not take this personally, "
Whorton said.
She also noted that the survey might
not have captured important nuances.
Public polling over the years has revealed
differences in how voters view
and respond to issues nationally and locally,
where, for example, they may make
a distinction between how they see the
quality of public schooling overall and
the quality of their own schools.
" I would wonder if there is a parallel
here, " Whorton said. " So, when we talk
generically about principals across the
country, if there is this skepticism, this
decline of trust, I'd really want to know
what are families' [and] communities'
4 | EDUCATION WEEK | March 16, 2022 | www.edweek.org
Confidence in Principals Drops
Public confidence in public school principals has declined over the last year
80
25
20
77
21
22
83
28
17
75
21
25
64
14
35
A great deal
A fair amount
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Confidence in K-12 principals has dropped during COVID-19, especially among
Republicans
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
Dec 2018
Jan 2019
Apr 2020
Dem/Lean Dem
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
SOURCE: Pew Research Center
Rep/Lean Rep
Nov 2020
Dec 2021
Dec 2021
Nov 2020
Apr 2020
Jan 2019
Dec 2018
piranka/E+/Getty
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Education Week - March 16, 2022

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