The current focus on instructional leadership within a high stakes accountability environment has frequently ignored the political role of school leaders. This article examines the perceptions of a group of new English headteachers to determine the features of their political role and their process in learning this role. The investigation is part…

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the literature and practice on beginning principal socialization by identifying the features of post-industrial work that create a more complex work environment for the practice and learning of the principalship in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: Based on recent literature on the changing nature of…

The headteacher's role in school improvement and the changing nature of the role suggest the need to investigate how new school leaders learn their jobs, that is, their socialization to the leader role. This study has two purposes: (1) to identify the content and methods used in the professional and organizational socialization experiences of new…

The move from teaching to administration is pivotal for creating innovative leaders. The National Policy Board on Educational Administration has called for principal recruitment and preparation reforms. This article discusses the socialization processes leading to the principal's role and describes implementation, benefits, and problems of New…

To implement school restructuring, midcareer administrators must change their role conceptions. This article examines literature concerning the major issues of socialization to a role conception (including definitions, sources, and socialization mechanisms for changing role conceptions) and presents a research agenda focused on two reform…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how the internship experience serves as a rite of passage for the teacher making the transition to aspiring principal. The experiences of 54 participants in an administrator internship program at Bank Street College of Education in New York City were analyzed. Data were derived from analysis of…