The different faces of principal mentorship

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine principal mentoring, a process that is significant in principal identification, socialization, development, and retention.Design/methodology/approachThe study was framed within the social constructivism paradigm and thematically examined individual perspectives to develop the thematic constructs relevant to the participants’ experiences of and perceptions about principal mentoring.FindingsThematic analysis of the interview data from 16 principals from the state of Georgia, USA, revealed five major themes related to leaders’ experiences of and perceptions about principal mentoring: mentoring as recruitment; mentoring as socialization; mentoring as support; mentoring as professional development; and mentoring as reciprocal learning.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings were limited to the sample of principals used for this analysis. Researchers are encouraged to examine principal mentoring in other contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of this inquiry suggest the need for formal and informal mentoring opportunities for new and experienced principals and call for further research on comparing mentoring practices between the large and small schools systems.Originality/valueThe paper identifies mentoring as an important path to principal effectiveness and contributes to the corpus of literature on educational mentoring by examining the perceptions and experiences of new and experienced principals about the mentoring they received and provided.

Mentoring for educators’ professional learning and development

“…This form of mentoring relationship may be characterized as a deficit model in which mentors believe their role is to "help the mentee or coachee gain something from their knowledge or experience" (Salter, 2015, p. 77); others such as Dominguez and Hager (2013) prefer to view mentoring as a "developmental model". Dominguez and Hager (2013) and Parylo et al (2012), Searby (2014) stated that mentoring "should be viewed as a learning partnership between the mentor and the protégé" and that the vision of a passive mentee waiting for the mentor's wisdom is being challenged by a more active mentee stance. Thus, emphasis is placed on the importance of the roles of both mentors and mentees, contributing to the construction of an effective mentoring relationship.…”

“…Mentors have professional development roles (as educators, as role models, as professionals who introduce the mentees to the culture of the school and facilitators helping mentees to gain access to resources) but also psychosocial support roles (as they have experienced what the mentees are experiencing and, therefore, know how to cope with it) (Garza et al, 2014;Hobson and Malderez, 2013;Kutsyuruba, 2012;Tan, 2012;Wyatt and Arnold, 2012). Dominguez and Hager (2013) and Parylo et al (2012), Tan (2013) noted that mentees prefer mentors who help them in their professional development. However, Tan (2013) concluded that mentees prefer mentors who are also "sensitive to their needs and give them room to manoeuvre" (Tan, 2013, p. 123).…”

“…Most papers in this review point out the abundance of positive impacts of mentoring for mentees in the literature (Boswell et al, 2015;Hobson and Malderez, 2013;Kutsyuruba, 2012;Lunsford, 2014;Ng, 2012;Parylo et al, 2012) Mentors also benefit from mentoring relationships, particularly from the development of new forms of learning communities (Kutsyuruba, 2012). The development of these learning communities through mentoring may challenge the current perspective of the mentor as a sage and the mentee as someone who will need to be guided carefully in beginning a career (Kutsyuruba, 2012).…”

Mentoring as an Induction Tool in Special Education Administration

“…In the early 1990's, university-based administrator preparation programs and state policy-makers began creating mentoring programs for novice principals "as a vehicle for stimulating reflective practice and providing technical expertise, role clarification, and socialization in a more authentic context" (Alsbury & Hackmann, 2006, p. 169). Mentoring relationships play a significant role in the professional development of those aspiring or new to the role of educational administrator (Alsbury & Hackmann, 2006;Browne-Ferrigno & Muth, 2004;Clayton, Sanzo, & Myran, 2013;Daresh & Playko, 1990, 1995Hopkins-Thompson, 2000;Parylo, Zepeda, & Bengtson, 2012). Daresh and Playko (1990) observed "tremendous potential to be found in the utilization of experienced practicing administrators as mentors" (p. 52), to entry-level principals.…”

“…In addition, they recommended geographic proximity, gender, shared thinking styles and the participant's desired level of structure, and nurturing is considered when assigning mentor/protégé pairings. Parylo et al (2012) conducted a thematic analysis of interview data from 16 principals in Georgia and concluded that multiple purposes were served when mentoring was used as a strategy in the preparation, support, and development of principals. They found that recruitment, induction, continuing professional development, and support were all affected by mentoring.…”