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…

Principals should help their assistant principals become well-rounded professionals, preparing them to assume higher posts. Such preparation entails hiring with growth potential in mind, formulating individualized on-the-job training programs, and conducting thoughtful evaluation. (MCG)

The role of the assistant principal is of crucial importance in secondary education. Despite the limitations and frustrations, many assistant principals have come to view their job as a career goal. (Editor)

Considered the role of the assistant principal as arbitrator and mediator in conditions requiring measures of discipline. (RK)

The assistant principal is potentially the most effective leader to spearhead a drive toward renewing quality educational programs. This report includes an extensive bibliography on personalizing instruction. (Author/LD)

This qualitative study based on interviews with 12 recently hired female assistant principals suggests that women being hired into entry-level administrative positions are primarily interested in their own careers, rather than in promoting change. Most were admitted to administration as a reward for loyalty to the current administration and the…

As the end of the 2002-2003 school year drew near, the author began to reflect on her first year as a vice principal. Her first year had been exciting and adventurous, although it started quite differently from most: she had the opportunity of opening a brand new school while working under the outstanding leadership of Marian White-Hood, the…

Assistant principals are often overlooked as a resource for creating, advancing, and sustaining a compelling vision for mathematics. The Math Collaborative Project developed in New York City examined the process of developing and implementing programs designed to help assistant principals network and strengthen their instructional leadership…

This paper presents the findings obtained from a detailed questionnaire completed by selected head teachers (n = 129), deputy heads (n = 81), middle managers (n = 178) and form tutors (n = 91) in schools within local education authorities located throughout England and Wales. The questionnaire focused upon the respondents' views on the best ways…

This study examined the impact of NISL's [National Institute for School Leadership's] Executive Development Program for principals on student achievement in Pennsylvania schools between 2006-2009. Roughly half of the NISL-trained principals started the program during the 2007 school year and completed it in the 2008 school year, whereas the other…

This study is the third in a series of national studies of high school principals dating back to the early 1960s. The major purpose of this study was to analyze and describe high school leaders and their schools in 1987. Chapter 1 discusses characteristics and opinions of school leaders. Chapter 2 is devoted to the tasks and problems of school…

Research on 125 assistant elementary principals in North Carolina revealed seven concerns about performance of duties: (1) lack of a well-defined job description, (2) lack of authority to implement assigned tasks, (3) lack of involvement in the instructional process, (4) lack of recognition, (5) make-shift office space, (6) low salaries, and (7)…

The most important and most difficult task of the assistant principal for instruction in a multiunit high school is recruitment of teachers for the learning communities. These teachers must be convinced that the increased workload and added responsibilities involved in developing interdisciplinary courses, budgeting time, space, and funding, and…

The author urges principals to provide their assistant principals with satisfying job experiences beyond those of coping with discipline, attendance, schedule, and food service problems; opportunities for career advancement; and an occasional pat on the back. The author further urges principals to think positively about hiring a qualified woman as…