Research has shown that the role of the assistant principal has changed little over the last 25 years (Searby et al., 2016). Assistant principals receive the same leadership preparation training as a principal; yet they are mostly tasked with basic compliance roles such as student management, personnel management, and discipline. After "No…

School leaders, specifically principals, play a pivotal role in shaping student learning outcomes. The benefits of strong leaders extend beyond academic achievement, such as reductions in absenteeism and exclusionary discipline. While quality principals are critical for creating and sustaining quality schools, the staffing pipeline is facing…

The principal's impact as an instructional leader influences many elements that keep a school building running effectively. Assistant principals, as emerging school leaders, must be prepared and cultivated with the proper support and resources to thrive in principalship positions. Support through school district-based principal preparation and…

Recent decades have seen a shortage of qualified secondary school principals. Retirements and an accelerated rate of attrition from the ranks of school leadership has exacerbated this shortage, necessitating an urgency to understand the factors that facilitate the professional development and growth of the next generation of school leaders. The…

This qualitative research study used narrative inquiry to explore the professional development experiences needed for assistant principals aspiring to the principalship as perceived by seven principals who lead effective Title I schools. Five research questions guided the investigation of professional development opportunities that principals of…

Understanding the professional development needs of assistant principals is a key component in ensuring that schools are successful. This study provided the opportunity to investigate the professional development needs of New York City assistant principals. Assistant principals have been cited in educational research as feeling unprepared for…

Although the assistant principal position has been the career path for aspiring principals, some researchers have claimed the position lacks adequacy as a training position. With limited research available, the purpose of this study was to explore the induction and acclimation experiences of newly assigned assistant principals. Following a…

The importance of leadership is critical with current accountability for student performance. The increased accountability for school leaders has caused a change in leadership roles to incorporate collaboration and shared leadership. Assistant principals are included in the concept of distributive leadership. A review of the literature shows…

This study examined the perceptions of a cross section of new and experienced assistant principals regarding the realities of their jobs. Findings indicated that their challenges pertain to workload and task management, conflicts with adults and students, and curriculum and instruction issues. Novice and experienced assistant principals' responses…

The quality of principals is pivotal for quality education. It is only through continuing professional development (CPD) that principals can further enhance professionalism. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the responses of 194 principals and vice-principals. The research findings show that Hong Kong…

In the state of California, potential administrators may gain certification by successfully passing the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA). This study attempts to determine if the SLLA route to administrative licensure is an effective way of placing quality candidates into entry level assistant principal positions by comparing and…

A survey of 40 newly appointed head teachers in Great Britain, supplemented by interviews with four head teachers, provided data establishing the extent to which head teachers were prepared for eight specific administrative roles by the experiences as deputy heads. Widely diverse, unsystematized approaches to administrator preparation were…

Every month, "Leadership" features articles written in an informal, conversational style that provide practical information for school administrators. This issue of "Leadership" contains the following titles: (1) "Building Communities of Practice: Creating Small Learning Communities of School Leaders that Support Teacher Development Has a…