Administrator Induction Programs: Summary Of Research & Promising Practices
By Linda Hartzer, Leadership Development Consultant and
Tom Galvin, Director of the Principals Center for the CT Association of Schools
Click here to download the entire report.
Introduction
National and state level research confirm that professional support is often lacking for new school administrators. Particularly in the first two years of practice, principals as well as other administrators are faced with an extensive set of learning needs and challenges-a period of "sink or swim" and yet induction programs rarely exist, and support if even offered, varies considerably from district to district. (For purposes of this report, induction will be defined as the process used, from time of hire, to prepare, support and retain new administrators.) With the advent of teacher induction programs, we have learned that an effective induction program dramatically impacts our ability to attract, train and retain new teachers. Given this research and experience with teacher induction programs, it would follow that districts that provide systematic induction and support programs for new administrators are more likely to be successful in developing and retaining effective leaders.
The purpose of this report is to research and summarize practices and guidelines being implemented for administrator induction programs. Apart from the fact that induction programs are a relatively "new phenomenon" and available information and data are limited, there were additional complexities in both researching and defining "promising practices" in administrator induction programs.
One important issue pertains to the quality and extent of pre-service and preparation experiences of new administrators. When looking at induction programs "in isolation," as opposed to a continuum of expectations prior to hire through post induction, there is the implication that new administrators are beginning at the same starting point. Yet, a review of administrator preparation programs would show that offerings and requirements vary significantly.
Furthermore, whether a new administrator participated in an Administrator Aspirant Program and/or lengthy Internship prior to hire will certainly impact the kind of support needed during induction. In some places, pre-service is considered as part of induction. Hence what might be a good entry point for induction based on pre-service experiences may not be suitable for another. Given this perspective, it would be important to take in to consideration "prior knowledge" and pre-service experiences when designing an effective model for induction.
Another critical issue, when designing an induction program, is to clearly identify the purpose or purposes. A review of research shows that there can be at least two purposes. One obvious purpose for induction programs is to support and assist new administrators. Many of the programs noted are designed to address this purpose and do so well, i.e. California and South Carolina. However, in other places, support and assistance are also linked to a second purpose - to "assess" the performance of beginning administrators for licensure, i.e. Louisiana and Kentucky. When assessment is linked, some programs have "added" expectations, which may be in the form of a portfolios or additional testing requirements. Therefore, clarifying the intent or purpose of an induction program is key to the design an effective program.
The following report addresses three aspects of administrator induction programs:
1. identification of attributes and "promising practices" for administrator induction
programs. We refer to characteristics of administrator induction programs as attributes or "promising" practices, as opposed to "best" characteristics or practices, since most of these programs are relatively new, and formal assessments of effectiveness are unavailable;
2. summary of research on existing administrator induction programs-including
international, state, academy, regional, and local district models; and
3. results of our Connecticut Survey on Administrator Induction, which was designed based on the feedback from several focus groups.
We believe this data will be very valuable to defining the characteristics of a desirable induction program-whether implemented at a district, regional, or state-level.
At the time of this report, identification of administrator induction program models by the Connecticut State Department of Education, as one component of the revisions required by the new Guidelines for Administrator Evaluation and Professional Development, was not complete. However, these model district plans will be posted on the Connecticut State Department of Education website as they are identified.
Tom Galvin, Director of the Principals Center for the CT Association of Schools
Click here to download the entire report.
Introduction
National and state level research confirm that professional support is often lacking for new school administrators. Particularly in the first two years of practice, principals as well as other administrators are faced with an extensive set of learning needs and challenges-a period of "sink or swim" and yet induction programs rarely exist, and support if even offered, varies considerably from district to district. (For purposes of this report, induction will be defined as the process used, from time of hire, to prepare, support and retain new administrators.) With the advent of teacher induction programs, we have learned that an effective induction program dramatically impacts our ability to attract, train and retain new teachers. Given this research and experience with teacher induction programs, it would follow that districts that provide systematic induction and support programs for new administrators are more likely to be successful in developing and retaining effective leaders.
The purpose of this report is to research and summarize practices and guidelines being implemented for administrator induction programs. Apart from the fact that induction programs are a relatively "new phenomenon" and available information and data are limited, there were additional complexities in both researching and defining "promising practices" in administrator induction programs.
One important issue pertains to the quality and extent of pre-service and preparation experiences of new administrators. When looking at induction programs "in isolation," as opposed to a continuum of expectations prior to hire through post induction, there is the implication that new administrators are beginning at the same starting point. Yet, a review of administrator preparation programs would show that offerings and requirements vary significantly.
Furthermore, whether a new administrator participated in an Administrator Aspirant Program and/or lengthy Internship prior to hire will certainly impact the kind of support needed during induction. In some places, pre-service is considered as part of induction. Hence what might be a good entry point for induction based on pre-service experiences may not be suitable for another. Given this perspective, it would be important to take in to consideration "prior knowledge" and pre-service experiences when designing an effective model for induction.
Another critical issue, when designing an induction program, is to clearly identify the purpose or purposes. A review of research shows that there can be at least two purposes. One obvious purpose for induction programs is to support and assist new administrators. Many of the programs noted are designed to address this purpose and do so well, i.e. California and South Carolina. However, in other places, support and assistance are also linked to a second purpose - to "assess" the performance of beginning administrators for licensure, i.e. Louisiana and Kentucky. When assessment is linked, some programs have "added" expectations, which may be in the form of a portfolios or additional testing requirements. Therefore, clarifying the intent or purpose of an induction program is key to the design an effective program.
The following report addresses three aspects of administrator induction programs:
1. identification of attributes and "promising practices" for administrator induction
programs. We refer to characteristics of administrator induction programs as attributes or "promising" practices, as opposed to "best" characteristics or practices, since most of these programs are relatively new, and formal assessments of effectiveness are unavailable;
2. summary of research on existing administrator induction programs-including
international, state, academy, regional, and local district models; and
3. results of our Connecticut Survey on Administrator Induction, which was designed based on the feedback from several focus groups.
We believe this data will be very valuable to defining the characteristics of a desirable induction program-whether implemented at a district, regional, or state-level.
At the time of this report, identification of administrator induction program models by the Connecticut State Department of Education, as one component of the revisions required by the new Guidelines for Administrator Evaluation and Professional Development, was not complete. However, these model district plans will be posted on the Connecticut State Department of Education website as they are identified.