School principals are under growing pressure, as social media scrutiny, formal complaints and demands for documentation change the way schools work with parents.
New research from Griffith University shows parent engagement, while central to the moral fabric of schooling, has become an increasingly delicate and emotionally weighted dimension of educational leadership.
The study drew on interviews with 14 Australian primary school leaders in Queensland and New South Wales.
Lead author, Dr Carolyn Wade from the Griffith Institute of Educational Research, said the research revealed a significant shift in the emotional and ethical work of school leadership.
“School leaders are finding that care is no longer just about the relationship they have with a parent or family; increasingly, they have to demonstrate, document and defend that care,” Dr Wade said.
“Parents can communicate, comment and mobilise through digital networks, while school leaders are constrained by professional obligations, confidentiality and privacy requirements.
“A complaint that begins as a disagreement can quickly move from a conversation to a formal process, requiring leaders to gather evidence, write reports and involve HR or senior administrators.”
The research found leaders subsequently began documenting more of their everyday interactions with parents, including positive ones, because they could not know when a conversation might later become the subject of a complaint.
“The irony is that systems designed to protect fairness can sometimes make genuine relationships harder to maintain,” Dr Wade said.
School leaders described parent Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats, TikTok videos and online reviews as spaces where school decisions could be rapidly discussed, reframed and judged by audiences well beyond the original interaction.
One school principal recalled a situation that escalated quickly.
“It started as a few angry comments on Facebook, and by the end of the day there was talk of a protest at the gates because I wouldn’t change the rules,” she said.
“They were saying, ‘We’ll all stand outside until she comes out,’ and that we were ‘destroying the kids’ mental health.’ It was completely organised through a parent Facebook group.”
School leaders reported attempting to reclaim some control over their time and emotional energy, including switching off notifications, avoiding social media and establishing clearer working hours.
Co-author, Ms Natalie Thackwell, a lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies, said these boundaries should not be viewed as leaders becoming less caring.
“Setting boundaries is actually a way of protecting the capacity to care,” Ms Thackwell said.
“If leaders are expected to be constantly available, constantly responsive and constantly prepared to defend themselves, there is a real risk that the relational side of education gets squeezed out.”
“Parent engagement remains enormously important,” Dr Wade said.
“But if we want strong relationships between schools and families, we need to recognise the emotional and ethical work involved in maintaining them and make sure accountability systems support that work rather than inadvertently undermining it.”
‘From call-out to complaint: the care work of school leaders in asymmetrical educational relations’ has been published online in the International Journal of Leadership in Education.
15: Life on Land
16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17: Partnerships for the Goals
3: Good Health and Well-being
4: Quality Education
