TY - JOUR TI - The revolving door DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3J104V8 PY - 2014 AB - One of the most significant events in the life of a school and a school district is a change in leadership (Hargreaves & Fink, 2006; Hargreaves & Goodson, 2006; Hargreaves, Moore, Fink, Brayman, & White, 2003). The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine how tenured teachers have experienced frequent administrative succession in one specific school district and how their experiences have shaped the culture of the district. Unfortunately, there is little research documenting teachers’ experiences with frequent administrative turnover. I examined the phenomenon of frequent change in leadership in my school district (referred to as succession in the literature) through a micropolitical framework. Using a qualitative approach, this study explored how teachers experience the phenomenon of frequent administrative turnover. I interviewed and examined the responses of nine middle and high school teachers from one school district who have been employed in the same school district for at least ten years and have experienced frequent changes in leadership. The data suggest that the frequent administrative succession in the district has led teachers to feel “leaderless” and frustrated with the “revolving door” of administrators. The teachers indicated they do not trust the administration. Trust is developed over time and the majority of administrators do not remain in the district long enough to develop trusting relationships with the staff. While the findings are not generalizable, they may be transferable and of interest to administrators and boards of education in other districts experiencing frequent administrative turnover (Marshall & Rossman, 2006). The purpose of this study was to acknowledge the experiences of the participants and hopefully, influence decision-makers to consider the possible important effects of this phenomenon. The significance of this study is twofold: It will add to the limited research that documents teachers’ individual experiences with frequent administrative turnover and provide research regarding the frequent turnover of the building principals in addition to various administrative positions which is currently lacking in existing literature. KW - Educational Administration and Supervision KW - Labor turnover KW - Education--Administration KW - School districts--Administration LA - eng ER -