Human capital development: principals’ challenges in developing school staff

Purpose Effectiveness of educational institutions in harnessing and optimizing the human capital of their school staff is necessary to improve educational results and foster student success. This process is impeded by significant challenges, including the declining status of the teaching profession and a shortage of qualified teachers, raising concerns about the potential decline in classroom teaching quality. This study focuses on secondary principals’ perspectives regarding the factors that facilitate and impede human capital development within schools. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on in-depth interviews with 60 secondary principals in Israel, selected through a maximally differentiated sampling strategy to encompass variation in principal and school characteristics. Findings A significant finding highlighted the role of the management team as an intermediary between principals and educational staff, suggesting that tailored development initiatives are more effective when derived from collaborative consultation. The study also accentuated the importance of tailoring development efforts to meet the specific needs of different staff groups, particularly burnt-out teachers who require specialized approaches. Research limitations/implications The study’s reliance on principals’ perspectives introduces potential bias, as it omits the perspectives of other critical stakeholders such as teachers, students, and administrative staff. Exclusion of these perspectives may lead to incomplete understanding of the factors influencing the development of human capital. Additionally, while the study identifies various factors that influence the development of human capital, it does not quantitatively measure their impact. The lack of quantifiable data makes it difficult to ascertain the relative importance or causal relationships between these factors. Practical implications The study offers actionable recommendations for educational institutions and policymakers, addressing the identified facilitating factors in ways that can improve human capital development. Social implications This study contributes to the research literature by examining human capital development within the recent socio-political changes that have disrupted the teaching profession and introduced many challenges. Originality/value Given the need to address challenges in the teaching profession, such as burnout of teachers, especially after the COVID-19, this study focuses on the perspectives of secondary school principals to provide insights into factors that promote or hinder human capital development.