The worklife of the assistant principal
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230210421105 |
| Pages | 136-157 |
| Published date | 01 April 2002 |
| Date | 01 April 2002 |
| Author | Charles Hausman,Ava Nebeker,Jason McCreary,Gordon Donaldson |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Journal of
Educational
Administration
40,2
136
Journal of Educational
Administration,
Vol. 40 No. 2, 2002, pp. 136-157.
#MCB UP Limited, 0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230210421105
Received March 2001
Accepted July 2001
The worklife of the assistant
principal
Charles Hausman, Ava Nebeker and Jason McCreary
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and
Gordon Donaldson, Jr
University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
Keywords Schools, Leadership, Education, Management
Abstract Literature and research have substantiated a noticeable trend in the recognition of the
important role the assistant principal plays in schools. Despite this awareness, the knowledge base
remains inadequate to meet the needs in understanding this vital role in educational
administration. Given this void, this article reviews literature on multiple dimensions of the
worklives of assistant principals and analyzes survey data from 125 assistant principals in Maine
to ascertain how assistant principals allocate their time, at what roles and activities they feel
successful, and the relationship between perceived success and quality of worklife ratings. The
findings highlight the importance of understanding functions of the role and adequate teaching
experience before assuming the role. They also raise concerns about the minimal amount of time
assistant principals allocate to instructional leadership and professional development, and the
extent to which serving as an assistant principal prepares one for the principalship.
Introduction
During the past three decades, the assistant principal has gone from being
regarded merely as someone to take some of the burden off the principal to an
integral and indispensable part of the aggregate referred to as educational
leadership. Furthermore, the assistant principalship is the most common entry-
level position for administrative careers (Austin and Brown, 1970; Marshall,
1992; NASSP, 1991). However, the principalship and the assistant principalship
are undergoing changes that have created questions and concerns regarding
the recruitment and retention of effective school leaders (Parra and Daresh,
1997; Golden, 1997). Therefore, examining the worklife of the most frequent
candidate for the principalship, the assistant principal, may help shed light on
the reasons for this concern and thereby provide valuable insight for improving
the education system.
While the principal of the school remains constantly in the community
limelight, it is often the assistant who interacts more with students. He/she is
often more visible to students than the principal, and therefore often more
influential in the students' day to day school life (Glanz, 1994; Marshall, 1992).
Correlative to these trends in thought, literature and research have
substantiated a noticeable trend in the recognition of the important role the
assistant principal plays in schools. Despite this awareness, the knowledge
base remains inadequate to meet the needs in understanding this vital role in
educational administration. Hartzell (1993, p. 707) refers to the assistant
principal as the ``neglected actor in practitioner literature''. Marshall (1992, p. 3)
states, ``Little attention has been granted to the training and selection, job
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The worklife of
the assistant
principal
137
satisfaction, and motivation of assistant principals. As assistant principals deal
with numerous duties during the course of a single day, how do they derive
meaning and purpose from their work?'' Greenfield (1985, p. 23) concludes that
the research ``has added little to the knowledge base informing the practice of
educational administration''. ``Now it is time to identify how assistant
principals' work fits into the ongoing function of schooling, how assistant
principals actually carry out their work, and what satisfies and frustrates
them'' (Marshall, 1992, p. 88).
With these voids in mind, the purpose of this paper is threefold. The paper
begins with a review of the literature on the worklife of the assistant principal
organized around four themes:
(1) allocation of time during the work day;
(2) organizational context and organizational socialization;
(3) association with others in the organization, particularly the principal;
and
(4) job satisfaction.
These components contribute individually and collectively to the worklife of
the assistant principal. Next, we analyze survey data from 125 assistant
principals in Maine to ascertain how assistant principals allocate their time, at
what roles and activities they feel successful, and the relationship between
perceived success and quality of worklife ratings. Finally, we discuss the
implications of these findings for policy and practice.
The assistant principalship: what have we learned?
Allocation of time
How do assistant principals spend their time? In order to understand the
worklife of the assistant principal, it is important to have a clear picture of what
activities consume his/her time. Austin and Brown (1970, p. 76) concluded,
``The assistant principal is primarily concerned with people and their
relationships as established, stressed, and threatened within the milieu of the
school''. They rated pupil discipline as the number one time-consuming
activity. Pellicer et al. (1987) used Austin and Brown's survey instrument in
order to create a longitudinal comparison. When comparing the 1987 results to
the 1970 results, more similarities than differences emerged. Over the years, for
the most part, time spent on different activities has appeared to remain
constant, although the 1987 survey showed assistants having increased their
time allotment for teacher evaluation and teacher selection.
McDonald (1981) used Mintzberg's (1973) framework to document extensive
observational records of five assistant principals in one urban school district on
the West Coast. She presented a composite ``worktime'' accounting broken
down in percentages. Her findings showed the prime purpose for interacting
with others was to convey, receive, review, or exchange information. She
expanded on Austin and Brown's conclusion that the assistant's time is spent
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