exploration of the current experiences and challenges of the assistant principalship during the age of educational reform

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20382042

The educational leadership literature has neglected to document the current practices of assistant principals in the public schools. This void does little to illuminate a current understanding of the role they play in school reform. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the experiences and challenges of six secondary assistant principals in an underperforming school district during a period of intense accountability. The research questions used to understand the current role are: What are the experiences of assistant principals engaged in the practice in underperforming urban schools? What are the perceptions of the challenges of the assistant principal position by those engaged in this practice in underperforming urban schools? The emerging themes included role perception and role experiences, experiences in the context of school reform, perceived challenges, and insight into future recommendations. The results of this study confirm that assistant principals continue to be responsible for student discipline and school operational tasks. However, over time as experience is gained, they perform a new and emerging instructional leadership role--Author's abstract