The Assistant Principal: Essentials for Effective School Leadership

A unique guidebook, training tool, and reference work for new and experienced administrators!

The role of the assistant principal is one of the least researched and least discussed topics in educational leadership … but the importance of the position in the day-to-day operation of the school site is growing every day.

This first-of-its-kind work addresses the multiple needs of students, instructors, and practitioners alike, helping new and experienced assistant principals develop the skills they need to move up the leadership ladder.

A specially designed questionnaire was administered to 100 assistant principals to assess their needs and knowledge; The Assistant Principal, unlike any other book of its kind, is the result of those field-based research findings. Educators and administrators, L. David Weller and Sylvia J. Weller, have created a practical and useful work that can help on a variety of levels:

As a comprehensive examination of the role, The Assistant Principal provides a fresh and valuable exploration of this increasingly important administrative position, identifying its strengths and potential weaknesses through real-life research-based data and the first-hand experience of 100 administrators.

As a professional development program, this book will be invaluable to teachers preparing for the role of assistant principal and assistant principals preparing for the principalship or related positions. Theory and field-based research are combined into one volume, complete with case studies, exercises, and examples.

As a reference guide for practicing assistant principals, Weller and Weller give readers a wealth of best leadership practices and practical examples that work, provided by practitioners in the field, as well as samples of surveys, evaluation instruments, and more. Designed for immediate application and easy use.

Weller and Weller address all the major issues that assistant principals face every day, offering strategies, tactics, and exercises for improvement, including:

• Leadership knowledge and skills
• The transition from manager to leader
• Informal leaders and groups in the schools: developing a power base
• Public relations and community power agents: successful networking
• Effective communication and listening skills
• Leadership for instructional improvement
• Effective leadership through effective staff development

As a reference guide, a training tool, and an examination of the profession, this all-in-one volume is essential for every administrator.

L. David Weller, Jr. is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Georgia. He has been a high school teacher, a middle school principal, and department head of middle school education at the University of Georgia. Weller serves a consultant to public and private schools and universities in the areas of organizational development and Total Quality management, and has served as a visiting lecturer at several British universities.

Syvia J. Weller is assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Barrow County Schools in Barrow County, Georgia. She has been a high school teacher of gifted and advanced placement English, an assistant principal, personnel director, and director of secondary curriculum. Weller has won many awards for her teaching and leaderships skills.