Overview
- A representative Schulleitungsmonitor survey of 1,357 school leaders, commissioned by the Wübben‑Stiftung and carried out with several universities, maps working conditions across all general education school types in Germany.
- Most principals now work long weeks: about half report 41–50 hours, 43% report more than 50 hours, and leaders at schools in challenging contexts average roughly 54.2 hours per week.
- Eighty‑six percent say they do not have enough time for daily tasks and respondents estimate 43.6% of their work time goes to administrative duties, with many citing a lack of administrative staff and excessive bureaucracy.
- Despite high intrinsic satisfaction—around 81.6% say they enjoy their work—meaningful minorities report burnout signs, 17.6% often consider giving up leadership, and 9.5% are already seeking alternatives.
- Many leaders use school data but roughly one third lack a firmly embedded data‑use culture; study authors and the Wübben‑Stiftung call for targeted relief, more staffing and clearer policy support to avert risks to school development.