School-Based Leadership and Professional Socialization of the Assistant Principal

Under the cooperative sponsorship of a university, school district, and local chapter of a professional organization for educational administrators, the Super-Center is designed to develop and implement continuing professional development programs for new assistant principals. In this study, 72 assistant principals, participating in a center activity, and their principals were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire on perceptions of assistant principal job time spent in seven administrative functions. Analysis of responses indicated that assistant principals and principals agreed in their perceptions of actual on-the-job and ideal time distribution. However, differences appeared between assistant principal and principal perceptions of each other's ideal assistant principal role. The principal's insight into assistant principals' thinking was accurate; assistant principals' insight into principals' thinking was not.