The purpose of this research was to identify personal and institutional factors utilized by school administrators to make career advancement decisions. A survey of 639 masters' of educational administration, licensure, and doctoral students that attended Youngstown State University from 2002 to 2007 was conducted in the spring of 2008. Responses yielded sufficient data from which to identify factors and draw conclusions regarding the issue of school administrator shortages across the country.
Current literature provided substantial evidence that several states have encountered school administrator shortages. However, their efforts have not yielded specific factors contributing to the shortages nor have effective solutions been found to alleviate the problem.
Analysis of the survey results identified factors contributing to the under representation of women in school administration, an untapped pool of potential candidates in areas where shortages exist. Political factors also emerged, exposing school boards and legislative bodies as contributors to environmental conditions and work-related expectations viewed by potential administrative candidates as negative factors.
Identified factors were categorized according to six conceptual perceptions: economic, educational, ideological, physiological/psychological, political, and sociological. Political solutions specifically designed to improve school administrator working conditions and subsequent administrative expectations dominated the recommendations following the study.