Problem Solving And The Public School Principal

This qualitative research explores the problem-solving process of public schoolprincipals. Drawing on in-depth interviews with successful principals, three distinctelements influencing the process were discovered. First, principals often engage in apractice the author identifies as policy shielding, where established policy or law is usedas a barrier from having to engage in potentially difficult interpersonal problem solving.Second, this research identifies ethical inclusion as the principal’s consideration of theethical, cultural, and emotional state of persons involved in the problem. Delocalizedempathy, the third element identified through this research, identifies the process in whicha principal may expand the framing of a problem through the inclusion of the emotional orother needs of persons beyond those immediately involved.While each of these findings is distinct, there is a progressive relationship amongthem. When principals avoid policy shielding, the opportunity for creative problemsolving increases. The subsequent problem solving is strongly influenced by theprincipal’s ability to be ethically inclusive of other individual’s cultural and contextualnorms. Finally, the principal’s ethical inclusivity allows for the delocalization of empathyto anticipate emotional or other personal reaction from others directly and indirectlyinvolved in the decision.The creative problem-solving process requires additional time and resources andprincipals in this study who engaged in creative problem solving had mitigateddescriptions of their job satisfaction when compared to those who did not. The personsinterviewed provide evidence that principals struggle with balancing the efficiency ofdeciding by policy alone and expending personal time and energy to engage in problemsolving. Because principals make decisions and solve problems that affect the lives ofmany individuals, improving the problem-solving process is of paramount importance. Itis recommended that training in the process of creative problem solving be included intothe curricula of principal certification programs.