This article describes findings from a single-case qualitative study of a unique 2-year professional development academy for practicing assistant principals designed and implemented in partnership between school district personnel and university educational leadership faculty members. The study was conducted based on the theoretical framework of…

This article examines the salary trajectory of teachers as they move up the career ladder into leadership positions. The issue of compensation is set in the context of a principal shortage that has been widely reported and discussed in the literature. Urban schools are shown to experience the principal shortage differently from rural schools.…

Presents field study research focused on (1) the socialization processes that the assistant principal undergoes as an aspiring administrator and (2) the processes that make an assistant principal effective and mobile within the organizational structure. Reports that roles and tasks are often poorly defined and that assessments of job performance…

Introduces special issue on the role of the assistant principal. Briefly reviews the contents of a series of articles which examines research on assistant principals, describes their experiences and major functions, and discusses their potential contributions to managing and improving instruction. (KH)

Argues that the role of the assistant principal may be dysfunctional as a training ground for secondary school principals because, as presently defined, it permits assistants to learn virtually nothing about management and improving instruction. Presents an outcome-based model for preparing the assistant for a principalship. (KH)

Describes the purposes and duties of the Assistant Principal for Instruction (API), a support staff position in every school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System. Outlines the typical day of an API, who acts as an adviser to teachers on matters of curriculum and instructional excellence. Considers ways of improving the teacher-API…

Reviews the literature on assistant principals. Concludes that from a sociological perspective, the existing knowledge base has contributed little to an understanding of the social character of the school setting, the internal and external careers of administrators, and problems associated with training and developing professional administrators.…

Presents a strategy for reconceptualizing the role of the high school assistant principal in order to: (1) make the job more professionally satisfying; (2) better prepare assistants for subsequent responsibilities as principals; and (3) develop a capacity for problem-solving activities, pursued cooperatively by teachers and administrators, to…

Assistant principals primarily police and control and prepare for a future principalship. Yet schools could benefit if the job also include instructional leadership, close teamwork with teachers and colleagues, and integration of community groups and parents into the school. Such changes would require shifts in the sociopolitical agenda for…

Recommends an organizational strategy for improving the effectiveness of secondary school assistant principals. Outlines skills needed by assistant principalship and provides selection and evaluation criteria. Describes an internship program to provide opportunities for individuals to pursue assistant principalships. (KH)

Focuses on principals as change facilitators, on other staff members who facilitate school improvement ("second change facilitators" and on what these two groups do together and separately. Concludes with considerations for policy making, for training of all school improvement leadership personnel and for future lines of study into facilitating…

Presents a field study focused on the work associated with the assistant school principalship in large high schools. Describes the assistant principals' role as one of maintaining discipline through organizational values and stability. Provides a theoretical model for understanding the relationship between the assistant's role and the school…

Proposes that the role of the secondary school assistant principal should be studied in terms of the dynamics of basic political conflicts in schools. When seen as a polity, the school site is full of disturbances that can potentially expand into conflicts; the assistant principals' typical function is to respond to these disturbances. (KH)

Major findings from a five-year study of the impact of the Swedish School Leader Education Program (SLEP), a program of leadership development for principals and vice principals, are reported. Despite research design difficulties, results for 35 school management areas and 66 evaluators suggest a positive impact of the SLEP. (SLD)

The improvement of the problem-solving processes of school administrators is explored by examining the following: (1) role of systematic instruction; (2) impact of instructional focus on general processes used by experts; and (3) promising strategies. Subjects are 14 principals and 8 first-year vice principals in Toronto (Canada). (SLD)