Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
EdD Program for Educational Leaders
Advisor
Karen B. Kamin
Committee Member
Donald Lueder
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Committee Member
Claudia Santin
Keywords
activities, assistant principal, assistant principals, challenges, daily log, duties, educational leadership, intervention activities, job description, job responsibilities, Kouzes and Posner, leadership, leadership behavior rating inventory, leadership effectiveness, leadership skills, literature review, mentoring, principal, school administration, school leadership, stakeholders, subordinates, urban schools, visionary leadership, vision
Abstract
This applied dissertation provides an in-depth discussion of the problems that the researcher encounters as a high school assistant principal in an urban mid eastern city in the United States. In the first chapter, the reader is provided with a depiction of the most significant of the 16 duties assigned to her by the principal. Chapter 2 discusses the challenges that the researcher encountered before entering the position, primarily due to a lack of mentoring.
The report presents the most frustrating aspect of the position--not having a well-defined job description--and the fact that there is no structured order or time line to the day. It compares the duties that the researcher is assigned, the job specifications, and the actual duties performed. It discusses the researcher's underdeveloped leadership skills and her efforts to provide her staff with “visionary leadership.” The literature review examines the assistant principal’s roles and responsibilities and also identifies the position as a leadership position in the school. It provides the reader with research on the topics of mentoring, leadership, and vision.
The researcher asked her subordinates to assess her leadership at the beginning and at the end of the study period using the Kouzes and Posner (1997) Leadership Behavior Rating Inventory Form. The researcher kept a daily log of her activities for one school day. In exploring the essence of leadership and vision, the researcher provides the reader with interviews from the principal and the former assistant principal.
There is a mix-match between the job description and the responsibilities of the assistant principal. Additional exploration beyond the job description itself is recommended. A range of successful intervention activities were introduced by the researcher and received a high level of support from all stakeholders. The report includes a discussion of methods and activities used to facilitate activities.