Use the assistant principalship as an explicit training ground for aspiring principals¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Based on the two studies, the authors conclude that aspiring school leaders need a wide range of experiences and that "the assistant principalship could serve as a more explicit training ground for new principals." Interviewed principals who had first been assistant principals said that role best prepared them to lead their own school, and former assistant principals stayed in their schools longer. The strategy is to deliberately structure assistant-principal roles and pipelines to build leadership skills before the principalship.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Aspiring principals need access to a wide range of pre-service leadership experiences, per the studies' conclusion that aspiring school leaders need a wide range of experiences

Constraints¶

• The supporting evidence is descriptive and self-reported from one district (CPS); the release notes principals in under-resourced communities often have less access to pre-service professional learning opportunities and fewer supports

Target Learners¶

• aspiring school leaders and early-career principals in large urban districts

Target Learning Goals¶

• school leadership skills including people skills, emotional intelligence, organizational and managerial skills, school budgeting, and navigating central office systems

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• New Studies Examine Diversity Among CPS Principals, Explore Their Previous Experiences. (2023). NORC at the University of Chicago. https://www.norc.org