Perspectives of school leaders on the administrative internship

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:198285 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this study was to identify how current K-12 district and school leaders who are alumni of an educational administration program describe how they acquired the essential skills and experiences needed to be effective in the leadership positions. Design/methodology/approach -For this qualitative study, the authors interviewed program alumni of one university leadership preparation program regarding the experiences and training they identified as having prepared them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to be successful in their positions, as well as which components of their administrative internship experiences, if any, they identified as having most prepared them for their positions. Findings -School and district administrators indicated they acquired the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become successful leaders through specific preparation experiences and opportunities. Key experiences cited by alumni included gaining some leadership responsibilities while they were teachers and further opportunities to lead in the administrative internship; engaging in practical, hands-on assignments in their graduate degree program courses; learning from other administrators with unique areas of work responsibilities, as well as from other schools and districts; and receiving guidance from a dedicated mentor. Originality/value -The findings from this study contribute to research in the area of administrator preparation by guiding preparation programs in prioritizing the types of training and practicum experiences that aspiring K-12 educational leaders receive as a component of their preparation programs.

Profiles of the Administrative Internship: The Mentor/Intern Partnership in Facilitating Leadership Experiences

“…Research demonstrates that aspiring administrators acquire essential leadership skills when they have the opportunity to observe, participate in, and most importantly, lead , administrative tasks during the administrative internship (Thessin & Clayton, 2013; Fry et al, 2005). However, interns can only gain these skills when they are given the chance to assume authentic administrative responsibilities by the mentor principal, as required by the NELP standards.…”

“…In prior studies we conducted utilizing surveys and interviews of both mentors and interns, results spotlighted the importance of the intern/mentor partnership (Clayton & Thessin, 2017; Thessin & Clayton, 2013 ) on the outcomes of the administrative internship. This study was designed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the contributions of both the intern and the mentor to the intern’s opportunity to obtain leadership experience during the internship.…”

“…Yet not all administrative interns are provided with the opportunity to have “authentic leadership experiences” as the standards articulate. Administrative internship requirements and experiences vary widely across and even within leadership preparation programs in the United States with regard to the required numbers of hours, the sustained nature of those hours, the activities conducted within the internship, and the protocols for reflection and university faculty visitation utilized across programs (Barnett, Copland, & Shoho, 2009; Carr, Chenoweth, & Ruhl, 2003; Clayton, 2012; Orr, 2011; Thessin & Clayton, 2013). Furthermore, while research suggests full-time, paid administrative practicums are most likely to provide interns with the leadership experiences they need (Darling-Hammond et al, 2007; Lovely, 2004; Norris, Barnett, Basom, & Yerkes, 2002; Shelton, 2010; Southern Regional Education Board [SREB], 2005), many aspiring leaders do not have the resources to cede a paid teaching position.…”

“…The mentor principal plays a critical role in the development of future educational leaders and specifically in ensuring interns receive these authentic leadership experiences (Browne-Ferrigno & Muth, 2004; Crow & Matthews, 1998; Daresh, 1992, 1995, 2004; Ehrich, Hansford, & Tennet, 2004; Gardner, Enomoto, & Grogan, 2000; Playko, 1995; Searby, 2010; Thessin & Clayton, 2013; Wilmore, 2004; Wilmore & Bratlien, 2005). However, in our review of the literature published in the last decade on administrative internships, we found that fewer than 15 articles referenced mentoring during this critical time in career and leadership development.…”

“…However, in our review of the literature published in the last decade on administrative internships, we found that fewer than 15 articles referenced mentoring during this critical time in career and leadership development. In prior studies we conducted (Clayton & Thessin, 2017; Thessin & Clayton, 2013), two key themes emerged as influential in the quality of the internship experience across multiple years of data: the degree to which interns were provided with the opportunity to lead during the administrative experience and the significance of mentor trust and interactions during the internship experience.…”