Assistant principal leadership development: a narrative capture study

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge base on the ways in which assistant principals view their roles, and on the potential challenges involved in a distributed leadership model. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a narrative capture method, in which assistant principals from two large urban school districts were asked to relate and self-interpret two leadership stories through a web-based narrative capture form. A total of 90 stories were collected from 45 assistant principals. Participants rated their stories based on a set of leadership indicators (including method of decision making and type of teacher interaction present in the story, among others); the results were analyzed statistically. Findings – Overall, participants tended to view their roles in terms of instructionally focussed leadership. However, leadership challenges emerged in several areas of leadership practice, including operational management and teacher professional development (PD). Demographic factors were found to influence leadership perceptions and practices. Research limitations/implications – This study begins to fill the empirical gap on assistant principal leadership roles, practices, and perceptions. Further research, using other methods (e.g. observation), is needed to collect evidence of in situ leadership practices of assistant principals, and how those practices impact and relate to school objectives for teaching and learning. Practical implications – The study sheds light on the leadership development needs of assistant principals and on the importance of ongoing, tailored PD, based on factors including where leaders are in their careers and how they envision their roles. Originality/value – This paper contributes to nascent scholarship regarding assistant principal school leadership.

Exploring distributed instructional leadership : case studies of assistant principals in an urban school district.

“…In order for assistant principals to be true partners in the distribution of instructional leadership, the principal must allow them to be a part of curricular and instructional functions in addition to managerial functions. However, in spite of having limited access, assistant principals still see themselves as instructional leaders and feel that they should be doing work that supports this mission (Petrides, Jimes, and Karaglani (2014). The next section highlights the research on assistant principals as instructional leaders.…”

“…They also cited operational management, pre-existing structures and practices, and teacher and principal mindsets as a hindrance to their ability to successfully function as instructional leaders. Petrides et al (2014) called for increased support of assistant principals via professional development in order for them to develop the skills they need to be successful in this emerging role. They also encouraged principals to change their mindset and to view assistant principals as valuable members of instructional leadership teams rather than as support.…”

“…Few studies are focused on the implementation of a distributed leadership model for instructional leadership in middle school (Angelle, 2010;Murphy, Smylie, Mayrowetz, & Seashore Louis, 2009). Fewer still examine assistant principal involvement in distributed instructional leadership practices in any capacity or at any level -elementary, middle, or high school (Petrides, Jimes, & Karaglani, 2014).…”

“…Assistant principals have also been called upon to share in the principal's leadership responsibilities; the job was created to lighten the workload of the principal (Petrides, Jimes, & Karaglani, 2014). Traditionally, however, assistant principals have usurped more of the management responsibilities as opposed to those pertaining to curriculum and instruction (Cranston et al, 2004;Hausman et al, 2002;Hulpia et al, 2011;Kwan & Walker, 2012;Oleszewski et al, 2012;Petrides et al, 2014). In recent years, however, accountability pressures have pushed instructional leadership to the forefront and assistant principals are now being asked to share in instructional leadership with the principal.…”

“…Assistant principals in Hong Kong spent much less time dealing with student issues than did assistant principals in the US but they were still not spending that time on duties that they considered as instructional leadership tasks (Kwan & Walker, 2012). Petrides, Jimes and Karaglani (2014) sought to conceptualize the role of the assistant principal as they took a more prominent place in instructional leadership. Using narrative capture study, the researchers analyzed anecdotes from 45 assistant principals of different ages with various years of experience.…”