Turn the Lights Off Before You Leave: Impacts of the Ideal Worker Narrative on Urban Principals

With rising K-12 principal burnout and attrition, this qualitative article analyzes the influence of the ideal worker framework on participating principals’ career sustainability and vitality, specifically if they uphold and are impacted by the ideal worker framework. As a theoretical framework, the ideal worker is defined as someone who devotes their full attention and energy to their work without considerations of outside commitments or distractions. For data collection, we extensively studied the cases of four K-12 principals employed in the same large, urban school district. Data included initial 45-60 minute, transcribed interviews, followed by 10, once a month, full-day observations with descriptive and reflective fieldnotes of the four participants. A third set of data was documents relevant to observation days, school context, and publicly available internal and external communications. Data analysis included first and second cycle coding and theoretical coding per Saladaña’s coding processes. Findings included: In terms of participants’ upholding the ideal worker narrative, we affirmed that participants upheld the ideal worker by maintaining a productivity mindset and engaging in self-sacrificing behaviors. Second, we noted that engaging in self-blame, facing the toll of productivity mindsets, and questioning their future in the principal career were the impacts of the ideal worker on participants. Implications for theory and practice are included.