The Assistant Principal: Neglected Actor in Practitioner Leadership Literature

Abstract

Both principals and assistant principals are site level administrators, and both are charged with leadership responsibilities in the school. Nonetheless, the organizational contexts in which they each attempt to fulfill those responsibilities differ in substantial and important ways. There are at least three reasons for this: (1) principals and their assistants are at different levels in the hierarchy; (2) they perform different duties; and (3) they are perceived differently by their subordinates. Because they work in differing contexts, principals and assistant principals face different leadership challenges.

While there clearly are leadership consistencies to be found across contexts, there are also significant differences to be discerned between them. An examination of the principal's position as a first-level leader in contrast to the assistant principal's position as a second-level leader points to these differences, and supports the notion that it is in the best interests of both research and practice to address them. These contextual differences have implications for educational leadership researchers, for beginning administrator training programs, and for the development of principals as first-level leaders.