New assistant principals find their new leadership role quite different from their previous work as teachers. This book, based on a 5-year study, addresses the realities of day-to-day life for new assistant principals (APs) in secondary schools. The book presents the actual experiences of men and women who made the transition from teacher to…

Common views of the assistant principal (AP) as the "Marine Corps sergeant type" with nowhere better to be are outdated. Career APs have diverse roles in school administration, often including, but not limited to, discipline. Many career APs find rewards in working with children and put high value on having a balanced personal life. Two…

This paper describes a practicum program that was developed to increase the effectiveness of the administrative team at one high school. A lack of communication skills had prevented the target group from working together as a team. Strategies included role-play activities, workshops, and communication skill-development meetings. A series of…

Questions that can be posed concerning the present state of affairs in limiting or preventing disciplinary problems include: Have there been significant changes in disciplinary problems over the past three decades? Are problems more or less severe than reported in the recent past? Are there patterns of discipline problems related to demographic…

A study of male secondary school principals' reactions to the resumes of fictional candidates for the assistant principalship suggested that experience is the most important criterion considered by principals assessing candidates, and that the sex of the candidate may be relatively unimportant. Three groups of male principals were asked to choose…

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…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the duties and responsibilities assigned to assistant principals in select Minnesota secondary schools. The objectives were to determine (1) the degree of responsibility delegated to the assistant principal for each duty assigned, (2) the level of authority involved in the completion of the delegated…

A 1975 survey of Pennsylvania school superintendents reveals generally high evaluations of women principals' and assistant principals' administrative performance. This article also contains a brief history of women in educational administration. (DS)

Describes the implementation and design of the Professional Development Institute (PDI) of the District of Columbia schools. Describes conditions prior to the founding of PDI and analyzes responses of inside and outside political forces which affected project operations and outcomes. The PDI trains principals to run schools effectively in the…

Although the practice is commonplace, the techniques for evaluating principals and assistant principals vary across the country. Four of the most frequently used evaluation processes and procedures are examined, based on case studies of four school districts in Ohio, North Carolina, Idaho, and Alabama respectively. (Author/TE)

This is a report of a study of the lack of qualified applicants for administrator positions in public schools. Objectives of the study were as follows: to respond to calls for more empirical studies about administrator recruitment and applicant decisions before an employment interview; to experimentally manipulate the way the position of assistant…

It is generally accepted that effective principals make for effective schools. In the United Kingdom, the key player providing needed intelligence, vision, energy, and thinking is called the headteacher. The issue considered broadly in this paper is educational leadership in the UK. It addresses the critical role of the headteacher and how to…

This qualitative study looks at the impact on the participants of 2 grant-supported initiatives over a 4-year period. The initiatives aimed at ways to improve the recruiting and mentoring of new school administrators, and ways to support experienced administrators throughout their careers. The School Leadership Initiative, a 3-year pilot mentor…

This research summary examines the results of three initiatives that changed leadership training for principalship. They are: (1) the School Leadership Initiative program, a three-year pilot mentor program designed for the assistant principal; (2) the Richardson Mentor Principal program, a program designed for seasoned administrators recognized…

This paper reports on a study that sought to achieve three things: (1) to determine the nature of Kentucky's 1997-98 principal interns and assistant principal interns and to compare the work performed by these two types of interns; (2) to ascertain if work differences existed among assistant principal interns according to gender or school level;…