Administrative Passages: Navigating the Transition from Teacher to Assistant Principal (Studies in Educational Leadership Book 4)

This book makes a much needed contribution to what we know about the role and work of the assistant principal. It offers terri c insights into the different challenges one faces after being appointed assistant principal, and it provides readers with a rich array of data regarding the mental, emotional, social, and physical adjustments accompanying one's transition to this new role. The author refreshingly moves beyond mere description of what assistant prin- pals do as they make their transition to that role, and actually helps us gain a sense of the lived experience of becoming and being an assistant principal. The book gives a realistic picture of the cognitive, social, and emotional con icts and confusions, the daily ups and downs, the fears, frustrations, and highs that are experienced by the men and women undertaking the passage from teaching to administration. This book is distinctive for a number of reasons. It is an empirical study of the role of the assistant principal. There are comparatively few helpful studies, and P- fessor Armstrong's research adds a solid and much needed addition to that body of work. It focuses on the transition from being a teacher to being an assistant prin- pal, and it reveals much about how the assistant principal's role transition differs markedly from that of the school principal. Foreword 7 Preface 10 Book Overview 10 Book Focus and Content 11 Book Structure and Organization 12 Acknowledgments 15 Contents 16 List of Figures 19 Part I Background 20 1 Introduction 21 Understanding Administrative Passages 22 Understanding Individual and Organizational Narratives 24 Listening to Assistant Principals Narratives 26 Researching Assistant Principals Stories 27 2 Perspectives on Change, Transitions, and Passages 31 Psychological Perspectives Transitions as Personal Change 31 Social Perspectives: Transitions as Social Passages 33 The Assistant Principalship Career Transitions and Socialization 34 Transition and Socialization 11 Transition and Socialization Stages 12 Transitions and Socialization Impacts and Mediators 39 Transitions and Socialization Tasks, Tactics, and Outcomes 39 Role Taking, Making, and Innovation 40 Adopting a Person-Centric Perspective on Transitions 42 Part II Narrating the Administrative Passage 47 3 The Individual Narratives 49 Michaels Story 49 Esthers Story 53 Jerrys Story 55 Sandys Story 58 Gregs Story 61 Karens Story 63 Andrews Story 65 Barbs Story 69 4 Charting the Administrative Passage 71 Crossroads, Intersections, and Boundaries 71 The Administrative Landscape 73 The External Dimensions 73 Stakeholder Impacts 74 The Internal Dimensions 77 Aporias, Dilemmas, and Crises of Meaning 77 Epicycles and Transformational Trajectories 79 5 EntryExit: Crossing the Administrative Threshold 82 Forging a Pathway 82 Threshold Rites 83 Selection, Promotion, and Placement 86 Betwixt and Between 89 Leave Taking 92 6 Immersion--Emmersion: Ascending the AdministrativeHierarchy 94 Administrative Shocks and Surprises 94 Middle Space and Absurd Contrasts 96 Immersion Rites Separation, Isolation, and Intimidation 97 Between Leadership and Management 102 Milestones and Anchors 106 7 Disintegration--Reintegration: Shifting Perspectives -- Letting Go, Holding On, and Reframing 108 Disintegration Physical, Social, and Emotional Grinding Down 109 Digging Deeper and Letting Go 111 Anger and Alienation 114 Reintegration Holding On and Reframing 116 8 TransformationRestabilization: Becoming and Being an Assistant Principal 119 Constructing an Administrative Identity 120 Developing Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Competence 123 Building Networks and Relationships 124 Developing Cognitive and Emotional Competence 128 Finding Meaning and Restoring Balance 131 Part III The Way Forward: Connecting Theory and Practice 135 9 Reconceptualizing Assistant Principals Leadership Transitions 136 Reconceptualizing Transitions and Passages: Theoretical Challenges 136 Researching Middle-Space Leadership 137 Studying Individual Change and Transition 138 Supporting Assistant Principals Transitions: Practical Challenges 139 Reconfiguring the Assistant Principals' Role 140 Recommendations for Change 141 Enabling Supports and Structures 142 Recommendations for Change 142 Pedagogical Approaches and Content 143 Blending Theoretical Knowledge and Practical Experiences 143 School Districts 144 Recommendations for Change 145 Recommendations for Change 146 Aspiring and New Assistant Principals 147 Professional Development and Learning 148 Developing Networks and Sponsors 149 Developing Administrative Skills and Competence 150 Conclusion 150 References 153 Index 160 Assistant principals are vital to school success. As one of the largest groups of frontline managers, they represent the face of school administration and they perform a complex range of leadership and managerial roles. As important as they are, little academic attention has been directed to the role of the assistant principal and the ways in which newcomers navigate the transition from teacher to effective administrator. This book addresses this gap by offering a perspective on administrative practice which is not normally discussed in traditional textbooks. It describes the socio-emotional journey from teaching to administration through the eyes of eight newly appointed secondary school assistant principals, and it introduces a change model which integrates literature and primary research. The assistant principals ́ narratives open a new window onto the inner and outer world of schools, revealing an uncharted landscape of paradoxes and emotions. These stories also uncover hidden boundaries, rites, and rituals which operate beneath a veneer of order, control, and stability, and shape administrators ́ work lives in imperceptible ways. As the new assistant principals describe their dreams, disappointments, and accomplishments, they illustrate the complex challenges of leading and learning within shifting organizational contexts. This book will be of interest to practitioners, policy makers, and theoreticians alike. It provides practical advice on surviving this career passage, and it identifies how institutional processes, policies, and practices can be improved to support this important leadership role. This book offers terrific insights into the different challenges one faces in adjusting to the role of the Assistant Principal, and will provide readers with a rich array of strategies regarding the mental, emotional, social, and physical adjustments required for a successful transition. Professor Emeritus William D. Greenfield, Jr., Portland State University, USA Professor Armstrong provides a comprehensive review of vice principals ́ career transitions and introduces a compelling new model for understanding the journey from teacher to administrator. Theory is brought to life and readers gain fascinating insights into the challenges which new vice-principals - real people ́ experience in the transition from teaching to administration. Dr. Chris Spence, Director, Toronto District School Board, Canada The few books currently available on the role of the assistant principal tend to be thin little survival guides aimed at practitioners working in the sink or swim environment of a new appointment. All the more reason to celebrate the publication of this substantial new book that skillfully addresses the craft knowledge and phenomenology of the transition from teaching to school administration roles, and does so in a scholarly manner ́ integrating relevant theory and research within an inspired and memorable conceptual framework of epicycles. The outcome is nothing short of ground breaking. This is an important new addition to the literature on the processes of professional socialization. Professor Paul Begley, Penn State University, USA Annotation Within the educational system, the role of assistant principal is vital. Assistant principals are the face of administration in most school districts, they comprise the largest group of administrators and largely determine school effectiveness and success. Despite the critical nature of this position, this leadership and management role is not properly understood or respected. This is reflected in the lack of targeted research and effective preparation programs aimed at the assistant principalship. This book examines two areas which are core to educational leadership theory and practice: assistant principals and the passage from teaching to administration. It describes the cognitive, social, and emotional challenges that new assistant principals encounter as they cross this administrative threshold and it contextualizes their narratives within psychological and sociological theories of change, transition, and socialization. A visual metaphor of cycles within cycles describes the four critical phases of their administrative journey. Also included are recommendations for aspiring and new assistant principals, regulatory bodies, professional development providers, and school districts. As administrative pools diminish and school leaders face increasing demands, there is an urgent need to prepare new assistant principals for this complex leadership transition Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-12 Perspectives on Change, Transitions, and Passages....Pages 13-28 Front Matter....Pages 29-30 The Individual Narratives....Pages 31-52 Charting the Administrative Passage....Pages 53-63 Entry–Exit: Crossing the Administrative Threshold....Pages 65-76 Immersion–Emmersion: Ascending the Administrative Hierarchy....Pages 77-90 Disintegration–Reintegration: Shifting Perspectives – Letting Go, Holding On, and Reframing....Pages 91-101 Transformation–Restabilization: Becoming and Being an Assistant Principal....Pages 103-118 Front Matter....Pages 119-119 Reconceptualizing Assistant Principals’ Leadership Transitions....Pages 121-137 Back Matter....Pages 139-151 Examines two areas which are core to educational leadership theory and practice: assistant principals and the passage from teaching to administration. This book describes the cognitive, social, and emotional challenges that new assistant principals encounter as they cross this administrative threshold