EDUCATION
The Challenges and Joys of Leading Islamic Schools ISLA’s groundbreaking report provides insight into Islamic school principals’ working conditions BY SHAZA KHAN
T
he Islamic Schools League of America’s (ISLA; theisla.org) latest research report, which paints a portrait of Islamic school principals that has, until now, been based on anecdote and conjecture, reveals that most are satisfied, despite the numerous challenges faced in their role. ISLA supports the country’s approximately 300 full-time Islamic schools by facilitating professional networking, conducting research on Islamic education, creating and curating resources, as well as providing professional development to address the training needs of principals and teachers. This past year, as educators’ needs kept changing due to Covid-19’s unpredictable nature, ISLA increased efforts to conduct research that could help drive data-informed decision-making. To that end, it launched quarterly pulse surveys that could respond to and yield data relatively quickly that was otherwise unavailable on Islamic schools. ISLA’s second pulse study, which profiled Islamic school principals, included their characteristics, salaries, sources of challenges and joys (www.theisla.org/principalsreport). It was launched in response to multiple requests from schools requiring benchmarking data to assist in setting principal salaries and recruiting new hires. As this data was otherwise unavailable, ISLA devised a survey to administer with its constituent principals, constructing the questions in a manner that would uphold the respondents’ anonymity, given the highly sensitive nature of the survey items, such as questions about their salaries and benefits. The survey sought to obtain only one response from the school’s highest-ranking administrator, whether this was a principal, head of school or superintendent. The survey received 107 responses, approximately onethird of the entire full-time Islamic school principal population, that fit the participant criteria. The report highlighted important — and previously unknown — factors, among
them that Islamic school principals are more highly educated than their private school counterparts. While 70% of the latter hold an MA degree or higher, 85% of Islamic school principals fit into this category. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of respondents indicated that they have 16 years or more years of experience in education. Yet, their years of experience as a principal are significantly lower. Approximately 40% stated that they have only one to five years of experience in that role, whereas the National Center for Educational Statistics reports that the average private school principal has 10 years of experience. This
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raises questions about why Islamic school principals have so few years of experience. For example, is retention a problem and, if so, why? ISLA’s survey also included an openended question about principals’ biggest challenges. Overwhelmingly, they reported their workload and the lack of support as their biggest challenges. Thirty respondents shared comments reflecting this theme. Following this, many others noted difficulties in hiring and retaining highly qualified and talented teachers. Some respondents pointed to the lack of sufficient funds to offer competitive salaries, and 20 others listed finances and limited resources as challenges. The survey also revealed that most Islamic school principals are female, with approximately eight out of ten respondents indicating that they are female. To provide greater context for the salary data and to accommodate general cost-of-living differences, the report broke down reporting on salaries by region and gender. The report revealed an apparent gender pay gap, with women receiving less than
