Perceptions of the Induction Process of Intern Principals in a Large Urban School District

This study presents perceptions of principals in a leadership induction program in a large urban school district in the southeastern United States. Qualitative research procedures were used to document experiences of principals. Theoretical constructs guiding the study were professional socialization, organizational socialization, and instructional leadership. Every organization has certain procedural induction norms that are used to define success. Educational institutions are no different in having normative procedures that serve as a guide to leadership development, selection and induction programs. In Southeastern Public School District (SPSD, pseudonym), the selection process of intern principal candidates employs a practice that ranges from internal searches, resumes used to identify and narrow the pool of prospective candidates, referrals, vacancies advertised via news venues, and recruitment in other cities and states. Selection procedures include reference checks and other means of gathering information about the candidate that provide a work related history which includes the candidate’s background education, training, and experience. Structured interviews provide personal information about the candidate such as maturity, commitment, and motivation to become an administrator (Normore, 2004a; Rebore, 2001). The selection process is designed by the organization to ensure the selection of the best candidate to fill the administrative vacancy (Pounder & Merrill, 2001). The National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (2001) and Normore (2006, 2004b) support districts’ efforts to enhance leadership preparation, training, induction and advancement of candidates as potential leaders from all levels (elementary, middle and high schools). Method Qualitative research procedures were used to gather and analyze data for this study. A purposive sample of participants was utilized to identify and select candidates from an intact SPSD 2001-2003 intern leadership-training group. The targeted population included 44 participants who entered the program in 2001-2003: 11 Black females, 3 Black males, 20 White females, 6 White males, 1 Hispanic female and 2 Hispanic males, and 1 Multi-racial female, offering a multiethnic and diverse population. At the time of this study, 18 have been appointed to principalships and 26 still remained un-appointed as of September 2005. The candidates reported having had experience varying from 4 to 11 years on the job experience in the role of assistant principal prior to their acceptance into the intern principal program. Multiple qualitative techniques—document review, open-ended survey/questionnaire and a semi-structured focus group interview (see Patton, 2002) were employed to gather information from the subjects allowing them the opportunity to elaborate and to share their insights on their experiences as aspiring principals. Twenty-nine participants (13 males, 16 females) completed the survey and six of these were interviewed in a focus group. The data were coded and interpreted; formal and informal indicators of the themes were then extracted. These themes were constructed to verify interpretations (Patton, 2002). The data were organized into groups by sources: field-notes, survey, and interview responses. The next step in the qualitative analytical process was to search for and to identify patterns that captured the experiences, feelings, and perceptions as they were described; these patterns were then coded as they related to each question and construct under investigation. Conceptual Framework The theoretical framework for this study focused on an “a priori” set of constructs found in principal leadership preparation literature. These include (a) instructional leadership, (b) professional socialization, and (c) organizational socialization. According to Daresh (2000, 2004) and Normore (2006), effective leadership is one of the most important and possibly the most influential factor of a school’s success. These authors maintain that leadership and quality of leadership that is established by the administrator plays a major role and has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the school and the achievement of its students. They also suggest that the administrator’s role is seen as a caretaker, manager, leader, the person held responsible for all functions within and about the community of the school; the administrator is the one who is held accountable for all that occurs, measurable or not, within the organization that is perceived as the school. Keller (1998) highlights the importance of the principal’s leadership role in his research on the effectiveness of schools and links this role to the school’s success. As it pertains to leadership, the integral relationship that exists among the three constructs focuses on the process of individuals successfully becoming school leaders in school settings. Doyle and Rice (2002) define instructional leadership as a leadership framework with focus on a positive, trusting relationship as a coach and mentor with all members of the community. Professional socialization as defined by Daresh (2004) and Normore (2004a) involves the process of acquiring leadership knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to develop and internalize the values and norms needed to form one’s identity as a member of a the profession. Organizational socialization has been addressed in principal preparation literature as an integral component of leadership by which a leader learns the skills, knowledge, policies, processes, and priorities required to perform effectively in the role of being a member of the school and district organization (Hart, 1993; Leithwood, Steinbach, & Begley, 1992). This study examines these constructs and the pivotal roles and function they play in candidates’ preparation for school leadership. Focus is on participants’ perceptions of the program as a way of assessing the effectiveness of the program. According to research, individuals do not function in objectively defined contexts, but label and interpret situations based on their perceptions (Bandura, 1986). Perception allows humans to construct their individual feelings, knowledge and experience based on their unique experiences and to form distinctive and individual knowledge, a fundamental condition of human behavior and learning (Bandura, 1986). Edie (1964) suggests that we experience a perception and its horizon through action rather than explicitly knowing. He adds that in principle, all consciousness is perceptual, even the consciousness of ourselves. Findings Research supports the idea that success and failure have different meanings for different individuals and for a rationale for the success or lack of success in accomplishing a goal (Pounder & Merrill, 2001). For this reason, it can be inferred that measures of success and individual perceptions held by the interns in this study are relative to the individually defined value of the particular task or goal. Although the findings suggest that all the interns indicated that becoming a principal was their primary goal for entering the program, they made it very