Abstract
Year-round education is a growing phenomenon in the State of California and throughout the nation. It is being promoted to meet the demands of growth as well as an alternative instructional delivery system for improved student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the level of job satisfaction among elementary principals in traditional calendar and year-round schools. Demographic, organizational factors, and fourteen specific job aspects that may be related to satisfaction were also investigated. The study utilized descriptive ex-post facto research methods in order to assess the satisfaction of principals in year-round and traditional-calendar schools. The questionnaire was mailed to 638 principals from California, Florida, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas. An 82% response rate was obtained with 528 surveys returned. Overall 67% of the principals reported themselves as very satisfied. The findings indicated no statistically significant differences (.05 level) in the satisfaction of principals in the two settings. None of the demographic variables was correlated with the reported level of satisfaction for either group of principals, and the only organizational variable shown to be correlated was the rating assigned to staff. The analysis of the discrepancy rating for the fourteen specific job aspects, revealed a similarity between the very satisfied principals in year-round and the very satisfied principals in traditional calendar schools. The study suggests that there are very satisfied principals in both year-round and in traditional-calendar schools and in very comparable proportions. Districts need to be made aware that principals in all settings and all reported levels of satisfaction perceive a discrepancy between the demands made upon them and the amount of time and help available to get the job done. Individual administrators and school districts may benefit from an understanding of the perceptions of principals as to what they value or hold as important and what they perceive their job provides.