Pursuing the Promotion: A Qualitative Study of the Development of Assistant Principals as Instructional Leaders

Penny Hall, 301

Novice principals recently promoted from the position of assistant principal often find themselves challenged to lead the instructional program in their school. As principals, they are charged with improving instruction with minimal formal preparation and experience. Given the wide variety of skills needed to transition from classroom teacher to school administrator, it is no surprise that educational leadership programs commonly incorporate only two courses focused on leading instruction. Most of the instructional supervision experience that assistant principals have is related to teacher evaluation and other managerial tasks. Our study focuses on the creation of a professional development program designed to develop the instructional leadership skills of current high school assistant principals. The goal is to gain their perspective on current practices that they feel are effective, their personal development as an instructional leader, and an examination of skills to be cultivated in the program. Based on data gathered from interviews, we will design a list of core competencies and skills that the program will seek to develop in assistant principals.