Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Executive Ed.D. in Education Leadership Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

David B. Reid, Ph.D.

Advisor

Alexandra Freidus, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Maria Ortiz, Ed.D.

Keywords

principal mentoring, vice-principal mentoring, administrator leadership practices, PSEL, informal mentoring, formal mentoring, principal supports.

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the ways formal and informal mentoring influences leadership practices in traditional urban schools. The PSEL standards anchored the leadership practices. Ten vice-principals and nine principals with less than 3 years of experience in their roles were interviewed. They included administrators promoted from within the district and those promoted externally. This study addressed the following overarching research questions: In what way(s) does mentoring influence new administrators’ leadership practices in traditional urban schools? Five subquestions supplemented this question: (a) In what way(s) does formal mentoring influence administrator leadership practices? (b) In what way(s) does informal mentoring influence administrator leadership practices? (c) How do these experiences vary from principal and vice-principal? (d) How do these experiences vary from those administrators promoted within the district and those external to the district? and (e) How do new administrators in traditional urban schools believe that mentoring and other supports can be improved?

Findings from this study noted that mentoring influenced administrators’ leadership practices in all of the 10 PSEL standards. However, mentoring influenced leadership practices in PSEL 4 Curriculum, PSEL 6 Staff Capacity, PSEL 8 Family Engagement, PSEL 9 Operations, and PSEL 10 School Improvement the most. The data showed that formal mentoring influenced PSEL 9 Operations and PSEL 10 School Improvement the most, while informal mentoring influenced leadership practices the most in PSEL 4 Curriculum and PSEL 6 Staff Capacity. The data also revealed that peer group meetings added a significant value to the administrators’ formal mentoring experience and helped improve their leadership practices. Another theme that emerged was that most vice-principals and principals reported their supervisors as their informal mentors and described their relationship with their mentors with positivity. Finally, mentoring influenced the leadership practices of administrators promoted from within the district and those hired externally differently.

The findings provide valuable insights into different stakeholders, including new administrators, mentors, district leaders, and policymakers, on how mentoring and other supports help new administrators address their jobs’ challenges and complexities. This study opens the opportunity for future research in a few areas. First, it is important to explore the influence mentoring has on new administrator job performance, not just leadership practices. Second, it is necessary to expand the research to explore the ways peer group meetings add value to the vice-principal’s experience and improve their leadership practices. Third, additional research should be conducted to explore the relationship between new administrators and their supervisors’ role in their growth and development. Fourth, further research should be done between mentor pairing and the effectiveness of mentoring on the development of new administrators. Fifth, continue to expand on this study’s findings of the influence mentoring has on administrators who are promoted from within the district and those promoted externally. Finally, this study focused on the ways mentoring influences leadership practices, but further studies should be done to determine how mentoring influences administrator performance.

Additional Files
JF_Signed_Dissertation Form.pdf (695 kB)
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