Learning by Doing: A Daily Life Study of Principal Interns’ Leadership Activities During the School Year

Abstract

Clinical experiences, including the full-time principal internship, are considered to be one of the most important components in principal preparation. Yet research on the principal internship is limited to surveys and interviews. I use a daily life methodology to explore full-time principal interns’ experiences during an academic school year. I find that interns’ activities approximate the work of a school principal in many aspects of the job, including administrative activities and instructional leadership. I also find that variation between interns’ activities is consistent with the literature, in that their activities vary based on personal background and school context.

The Intersection of Preparation and Practice: School Leadership Learning Through Simulation

“…However, principals are also tasked with student management, human resources, communication, planning, scheduling, coaching, and a broad range of other responsibilities that take time away from reflective practice. Drake (2020) and Jerdborg (2020) have suggested that educational leaders committed to growing in their practice collectively engage in critical and theoretical reflection within their current context and to extend their prior understandings. Yet, research has revealed that school leaders spend the least amount of their time on professional growth (Camburn et al, 2010; May et al, 2012).…”

“…While professional development may evoke visions of traditional learning frameworks through workshops, conferences, or courses, Drake’s (2020) and Jerdborg’s (2020) research highlight a critical point for school leaders as they move forward in their careers—seeking opportunities to connect critical and theoretical reflection within their current situations to extend schemata (i.e., their mental blueprints to guide future thinking and behavior). The NASSP-LPI national survey data (Levin et al, 2020) indicates that principals are leaving the field due to a lack of responsive professional development, establishing that current practices are not sufficient.…”

“…NCLB provided funding for principal certification reforms and supports but focused specifically on failing schools rather than systemic changes. The leadership deficit was further addressed under ESSA with mechanisms in place for residency programs and clinical experiences to support candidate development (Haller et al, 2016). Although research and policy have drawn a clear connection between principal leadership and standards-based school performance, principal candidates remain ill-equipped to balance instructional leadership with other administrative tasks (Grissom et al, 2021).…”

“…According to Reyes-Guerra and Barnett (2016), practical experience is a powerful tool for candidates to develop essential interpersonal skills required for the job. Students who participate in full-time internship experiences are able to immerse themselves in the position and encounter similar work to that of the principal (Drake, 2020). Unfortunately, this is an expensive approach not widely available.…”

Pedagogical gaps in the bridge from classroom to field for pre-service principal competence development

“…The default signature pedagogy in ELPPs is a combination of readings, audio-visual and class-based work; class-assigned field-based projects and internships. Research on internships, while limited and still growing, indicates that ELPPs too often do not provide uniform experiences or sufficient supervision (Darling-Hammond et al, 2007;Hayes and Irby, 2020;Reyes-Guerra and Barnett, 2017), with yet further variation introduced by candidates' background and school context, and that they often work alone with insufficient interactions with mentors or coaches (Drake, 2020). This raises questions as to whether through this default signature pedagogy learners receive the repeated opportunities for fail-safe practice and the expert feedback necessary to build high levels of competence that can translate into effective practices once the candidates are in-service leaders.…”