The purpose of the study was to describe the organizational socialization of assistant principals and consider how that socialization prepares them for becoming principals. Using a case study research design and social systems theory as the theoretical framework, 8 assistant principals in 2 different high schools were interviewed (as were their…

This paper reports on a study that described how assistant principals operate within the context in which they serve, and how they and their professional situations interact. Its focus was less on their duties and more on the how: how they think about what they do and their position, how they perceive their place within the organization, and how…

Accurately estimating the number of female high school administrators is difficult because (1) comprehensive studies by individual position are nonexistent; (2) most state departments of education do not collect or report such data; (3) limited samples are used in studies; and (4) researchers and reporters tend to aggregate positions. Researchers…

This paper focuses on a single assistant principal, her world and work. It examines the actions and feelings of the person in the assistant principal position, the way that person saw and managed the job, and how that person affects, and is affected by, the job. Operating as a "participant as observer," the assistant principal kept a comprehensive…