Date of Degree
2026
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Kelly Summers
Co-Director
Alexios Rosario-Moore
Committee Members
Ben Creed
Keywords
Burnout, Central Office Administrators, Educational Leadership, Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, Organizational Stressors, Illinois School Districts, Administrator Wellbeing, Unfunded Mandates, Quantitative Research, Leadership
Abstract
Burnout among educational leaders is well documented; however, limited empirical research has focused on central office administrators. This study examined burnout among licensed central office administrators in Illinois school districts, focusing on self-reported levels of burnout and associated organizational stressors. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources model, burnout was conceptualized as a systemic organizational phenomenon shaped by workplace conditions. A cross-sectional survey was administered to licensed central office administrators across Illinois public school districts. Descriptive analyses assessed burnout prevalence, while correlational analyses examined relationships among burnout, organizational stressors, and coping strategies. Results indicated that burnout was common and multidimensional, with organizational stressors such as policy and mandate pressures, compliance demands, competing priorities, staffing challenges, and resource constraints having strong associations with burnout. Coping strategies, like recovery behaviors and support seeking, were associated with lower burnout levels. Findings suggested that burnout among central office administrators is driven more by organizational context than workload alone, highlighting the need for broader policy and organizational solutions to sustain leadership.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
De Jesus, Ivone, "Burnout Among Licensed Central Office Administrators in Illinois School Districts: A Quantitative Study" (2026). Dissertations of Practice. 126.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/126
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons
