The school principal is one factor in student success. As the number of principals needed increases (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008) and the number of principals eligible to retire rises (Briggs, Cheney, Davis, and Moll, 2013), there is concern about a potential shortage of applicants. This potential shortage has been documented in professional literature and state reports, including Arkansas (Carnine, Denny, Hewitt, and Pijanowski, 2008), Massachusetts (Militello and Behnke, 2006), North Carolina (North Carolina Association of School Administrators, 2005), and Vermont (Hinton and Kastner, 2000). One concern of those who predict a shortage of qualified applicants for the principalship is that educators complete principal preparation programs but do not pursue positions. Various reasons for this reluctance to apply have been expressed, including the time, responsibility, and salary that are incommensurate with the demands of the position.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between those more willing and those less willing to apply for principal or assistant principal positions once they have completed preparation programs for school leaders. Interviews conducted with graduates of principal preparation programs were used to identify variables that may affect the willingness to apply for principal positions. The identified variables were formed into a questionnaire that was administered to a larger sample of graduates of principal preparation programs with faculty affiliated with the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration using the Virginia Tech on-line survey maker.

Encouragement by others was an influence in the willingness to apply for the principalship in both the qualitative and quantitative portions of this research. While salary correlated with the willingness to apply in the quantitative portion of the research, it was not a strong factor in the qualitative portion of the research. Non-married respondents were more willing to apply for principal positions.

Other factors mentioned by respondents in the qualitative portion of the research were not significant influences on the willingness to apply for the principalship or were not measured reliably in the quantitative portion of the research. These factors were the activity of the position, competence, stress, and the time commitment of the principalship.