Comparative study of the entrepreneurial orientation of school principals within charter schools and traditional public schools

This research compared the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of principals working within traditional public schools and charter schools. In addition, this study examined school level, primary versus secondary, gender, and years of experience in relation to EO. The study of EO as a construct has emerged over the past 40 years within the business sector and has shown that EO has positive effects that predict the creation of new and innovative products and services. According to Lumpkin and Dess (1996), "entrepreneurial activity or processes may, at times, lead to favorable outcomes on one performance dimension and unfavorable outcomes on a different performance dimension" (p. 153). It is nearly impossible to be proficient in all five areas of EO. Often times those who have a strong sense of innovation excel in one area but may not be strong in the other components of entrepreneurialism (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996). Since the EO construct has been empirically studied for 40 years in the field of business, it stands to reason that incorporating EO research into education may benefit the education field as schools are pressured to be more competitive and innovative. Advocates claim that charter school principals are more entrepreneurial. According to Sobel and King (2008), "school choice programs create an atmosphere of competition, innovation, and risk-taking within the administrative infrastructure of schools" (p. 429). This quantitative study adapted an EO instrument to measure the EO 403 California school principals within both charter schools and traditional public schools to test this assumption. Results show that principals working within the traditional public schools have a stronger EO then charter school principals, despite many claims to the contrary. In addition, that data indicates that the more years of experience the principal has the lower his or her entrepreneurial orientation.