is being an assistant principal worth it is being an assistant principal worth it

I had to deal with every single issue that came up, and while sometimes you get to talk with a student and mentor them, the actual teaching side of being in education is not really there day-to-day in an active sense (more of a passive sense). Its always worth it because most states give a pay raise yearly for masters degree and it opens possibilities. There are many similarities for assistant principals, regardless of the education level, but there are some structural differences in academics and best practices for dealing with students of various age groups. SOURCE: The Role. Occasionally a few helpful colleagues shared or donated used materials or resources. PRINCIPAL, K-8 SCHOOL. Step 4: Think about whether is it worth to be an . (Students of color comprised 34 percent of the enrollment in the six states that were included in this specific study that was part of the larger review.). This is reality,i have faced the same. Assistant principals often have to deal with heated situations between students, parents, and teachers. Questions provide an avenue for dialogue rather than dictation. An assistant principal at Willow Spring High School has been suspended from her position after being arrested on charges of driving while . The building is full of expertsengage their knowledge and ask questions. Andrew Houlihan, the superintendent of the Union County schools in North Carolina, led the development of a high-dosage tutoring strategy to combat student learning loss. Like me, some principals are not prepared for the toll on ones health, wellness, and personal life. In Political Science. Its important for assistant principals to engage in professional development to stay up-to-date on educational trends and to hone leadership skills. In Teaching and a C.A.S. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. You get good stories and I think the energy from running a building is exciting. But currently in my new district we have a new sup who stepped up from within and should have been sup all along. They may evaluate teachers. Communication, relationships, management, data, instruction, money. Field Tip: Try trash can diplomacy. At lunch, take the trash cans around the cafeteria to collect trash from students. A desire to help students succeed. Campus/Assistant Principal Category/Recruitment Type: Other Date Posted: 2/28/2023 Location: Willow Springs Middle School Date . One difficult thing about being an assistant principal is that you have to embrace the party line. Principals and teachers absorb the shock and stress of their students. Missing Tift Co. man found dead in wooded area. Being a principled assistant principal would be difficult. My old admin team still gets together every Christmas and we had a great rapport. My health was also heading in a negative direction. Jared C. Wastler is the assistant principal at Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown, PA. Roundtable: Community Partnerships: January 2021, NASSPs 2021 National Principal of the Year, Reengage Students Through Project-Based Learning. Fulfilling federal and state education laws so that their schools are safe and equitable. There is a big difference between AP and principal. Just under a quarter of assistant principals were people of color, but they made up only 19 percent of those serving as principals and 13 percent of teachers. Advantages every day is a new adventure. In larger school districts, there may be multiple assistant principals per school, each specializing in a specific subject area, such as history or math. The most important lesson in leadership is, be you. Authenticity, including recognizing our strengths and weaknesses, makes us better leaders. Hutton said APs should be treated as principals in training or as the lead principals co-pilot and provided with training and job experiences to match those roles. As VP/P I couldnt. While the high school in a district may have 1350 in attendance, one of the elementary schools in the same district may only have 450 students. (This also applies to your personal balance. Being an Assistant Principal has taught me that it is important to communicate with honesty and transparency to the staff about the needs of our students, which may take Teachers out of their comfort zones. I Saved Myself: Five Reasons Why Principals Leave Their Schools. Whether a principal is in an urban, suburban, or rural district, the job is tough. A survey by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) found principals averaged 10 years as a teacher before moving into an administrative role. One is who gets into the pipeline. [ONLINE] Available at: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/nassp-principal-turnover-insights-brief. As a principal, I can genuinely say that I was not prepared for all of the social-emotional issues of my students. The transition is quickin one day you move from a teacher contract to an administrative contract. She obtained an M.A. She wrote the book to bring awareness to teacher burnout. Assistant principals have many important responsibilities. If there is a staff concern that needs resolution, ask if you can observe the process to better understand the policies and procedures. ET. Most assistant principals take the following steps: State certification shows that an individual is prepared to face the challenges and use their knowledge in a variety of situations effectively. The role of assistant principal at an elementary school can be different from that of a middle school or high school assistant principal. While this strategy has its advantages, it can also be a hindrance, as each of us carries strengthsand weaknesses. It's not worth it for you or anyone else. But they knew what my strengths and weaknesses were and we would do things that would compliment one another as opposed to say "that is a job for the principal" 2. Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles. Cassandra Washington is a Chicago-based educator. Create a free account to save your favorite articles, follow important topics, sign up for email newsletters, and more. Finding the right balance for communication is critical. Help create school-wide goals including those related to student learning and. Each year I watched my school budget decrease by $100,000 or more. Both are important functions for a school to function, but can take a toll on the people in those roles. They conceptualize the goals of their school and identify objectives for instruction and extracurricular programs. Because of this, their guidance on instructional content can be limited. They need to ensure the safety of students, as well as fulfillment of federal and state student and teacher performance guidelines. I had to close teaching and aide positions, including shutting down the school library. Assistant principals often have to deal with heated situations between students, parents, and teachers. You'll be miserable and the people you serve will be miserable. Im an education student right now, and Im constantly thinking about what I will be doing for grad school. Are assistant principals the most overlooked, undervalued people in schools?While their numbers have exploded over the last 25 years, schools have little to no idea of whether this sizable group of second-in-command administrators influence student learning.Often, they dont have clearly defined roles. In Educational Leadership from National-Louis University. Potential job titles within the umbrella of school administration include the following: Principal Assistant principal Superintendent Dean of students Dean of admissions Provost Department chair When I left my principal job, the scores on the state test declined 10 percentage points on most every exam but the new admin didnt care because the person who replaced me was friends with the new Supt. The Occupational Employment Statistics reported these annual mean wages for 2016: The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6 percent growth in jobs for principals in the decade from 2016to 2024. ET. These include: Insuring the safety of students and staff. While the new report said that big-city and other large districts offered more professional development and mentoring opportunities for APs, the councils research found something quite different. I am glad to hear your story. The Editorial Team, Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP), Teaching Careers and Professional Development, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, American Federation of School Administrators, Research Education Specialist Degree Programs, Research ALL Degree and Certificate Programs, Psychology Teacher: Job, Education and Salary Information, Special Education Teacher: Job, Education and Salary Information, Health Teacher: Job, Education and Salary Information, School Principal: Job, Education and Salary Information, Art Teacher: Job, Education, and Salary Information, Adjunct Professor: Job Outlook, Education, Salary, Masters in Trauma Education and Trauma-Informed Care. 2019. Theres limited empirical evidence that having worked as an AP leads to better school outcomes or effectiveness as a principal. Training programs for administrative positions often focus on the role . I'm at a central office job now. Thank you for sharing your story have learned a lot as a principal. When the master schedule is developed, observe the process and ask how the schedule is designed to balance needs. Unless it's a moral issue, then the ultimate decisions are up to the principal. Hi, thank you for sharing! program/mission evaluation and strategic planning. When I was just a teacher, I could ignore other colleagues drama and focus just on my specific classes. Leave secondary school. Many states require masters degrees for a school administration license. Tact and diplomacy can go a long way towards dealing with difficult problems. The Sup started pressuring his friends who know his dirt and its been terrible. A 2017 national survey of public school principals found that, overall, approximately 18 percent of principals had left their position since the year before. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world. Although behavior issues and disciplinary actions are still a part of an elementary assistant principals day, they are often less frequent and less time consuming. My mileage may be different because I was also full time teaching, but heres what you can expect: +discipline issues of all kinds land on your office doorstep, +personnel issues of all kinds land on your office doorstep, +parent issues of all kinds land on your office doorstep. The Topeka, Kan., district has hired Ukrainian refugees in multiple roles, helping provide stability to families uprooted by war. I hired teachers, aides, and other staff members. An effective team starts with knowing how you complement each other and how you fit into the system. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers tointegrity, accuracy, and independencein education reporting. . National Association of Elementary School Principals: National Association of Secondary School Principals: American Federation of School Administrators: National Association of School Board Members: https://resilienteducator.com/teaching-careers/assistant-principal/. They work hand in hand with the principal to ensure that students get the highest quality of education and care. Superintendents get fired a lot and it will cause you to lose your job if it happens. Jul 2016 - Jun 20182 years. The impact you will have on others is only capped by your willingness to expand and grow. The most important lesson in leadership is be you.. If youre a teacher who aspires to be an assistant principal, youre in good company. Additionally, School Principal typically reports to a superintendent. One day, the phone rang, and I discovered that I was the new principal of a Pre-K through eighth-grade school. That is a significant increase in salary and can have a substantial impact on your family's financial status, as well as on your retirement. I liked it. Retirement will come quickly in the coming months. Its also possible that Black assistant principalsparticularly Black menwho are often steered toward student discipline, may not be getting the instructional leadership experience necessary for the principals job, Mollie Rubin, a research assistant professor at Vanderbilt and a co-author, said during a panel discussion and presentation of the reports findings. She obtained an M.A. Principal attrition and mobility: Results from the 201617 Principal Follow-up Survey First Look(NCES 2018-066). Currently she is semi-retired and works as a part-time Instructional Coach and Professional Learning Consultant. I got fired from my principal job on a sup change; fired from being a federal programs director as well. the hours for an AP at high school included a lot of night events. If the principal has bad ideas, the assistant principal has to sell those ideas. Thu., March 30, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The ceiling for your own professional growth is in your hands. you get a chance to work closely with at-risk kids/families. View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. Our district has 30 schools and 34000 students. My dreams and hopes for the students, staff, and families outweighed the realities that laid in waiting. But my friend who is on the board there said that they told the sup that the principals who he hired to replace the ones he fired had better be higher than when they started or he would lose his job it caused a ton of issues. "Heavy is the head that wears the grown. To whom much is given, much is expected!". Field Tip: Get an accountability partner. Easy Things Aren't Worth Doing Svg . I am senior master of a school in Kenya. Therefore, assistant principals in secondary schools also have an extra level of responsibility to monitor truancy. Effective communicator. Many of these courses can even be taken online or through a professional association. I wouldve gone on to a principal gig, but got a great offer at central office with a 3 minute commute, so I went that route. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. The requirements for licensure differ from state to state. When the low scores got to the board they said you fired that principal at school x because of scores, the new guy is much worse the Sup then claims it is implementation dip and all that nonsense. I just wanted to run my school based on the needs of students, culture, and inner workings. This content is provided by our sponsor. ; . Goldring, R., & Taie, S. (2018). The five reasons why this principal left her school were, l social issues, lack of funding, micromanagement, politics, and stress, and burnout.