Beginning with Sustainability in Mind: A Study of Novice Principals

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

Beginning with Sustainability in Mind: A Study of Novice Principals’ Perceptions of an

Urban District Principal Mentoring Program

Rhonda Nichelle Peeples

Ohio State University

Karen Stansberry Beard

Ohio State University

Dustin Miller

Ohio State University

Abstract

This case study sought to address how one principal mentoring program supported the

development of eight novice elementary principals serving in a large Midwestern urban school

district. Using semi-structured interviews, the novice principals described their experiences as

participants in the urban district’s mentoring program. Results indicated that novice principals

benefit from a) formal mentoring programs, b) quality time with mentors, c) mentors with strong

leadership experience, d) mentoring guidance with executing district policies and procedures

allowing them to navigate job expectations, and e) a positive relationship with mentors that

includes open communication.

Key words: educational administration, urban educational leadership development, novice

principals, mentoring, mentorship, educational leadership

Introduction

The purpose of this narrative inquiry qualitative study was to examine the experiences

and perceptions of novice elementary principals’ experience in a large Midwestern urban

district’s first year principal mentoring program. As such, the study was guided by two

questions: 1) What elements of the principal mentoring program did the principals perceive

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

prepared them for an urban principalship? 2)What value was in their relationship with their

mentor? School principals are essential for providing strong school climates and improving

student outcomes. And yet, even with national attention on the advancement of student

outcomes, principal turnover is a national concern. A 2019 study by the National Association of

Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) reported five

reasons principals leave their jobs, aside from retirement or dismissal (Levin & Bradley, 2019):

inadequate preparation and professional development, poor working conditions, insufficient

salaries, lack of decision-making authority, and ineffective accountability policies. Explored in

this study and of interest to us was the first of the five identified causes for principal turnover,

inadequate preparation and professional development, and support.

The NASSP and LPI report indicated that research consistently highlights the relationship

between principal effectiveness and student success. It also highlighted the nation’s consistent

underinvestment in principal effectiveness with several studies finding correlations between

principal turnover and student test score losses across grade levels and subjects. This is

supported by Daresh’s (2007) earlier argument that mentorship plays a critical role in

strengthening school leadership. Changing educational reforms like teacher evaluations, school

improvement guidelines, and high-stakes assessments provide little time for new principals to

ease into their roles as instructional leaders (Whitaker, 2003). To that end, the significance of

principal mentorship is important and attention to the effectiveness of mentoring programs is key

to the development of strong school leaders at the beginning of their career to better prepare and

sustain them throughout their career trajectory.

Arguably the apex of education reform is academic achievement. Large urban school

districts have been especially scrutinized by stakeholders to increase student academic

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

performance. Urban school leaders are charged with the primary responsibility of closing the two

identified achievement gaps of greatest concern. Darling-Hammond (2010) identified the first as

the gap between white and more affluent students and students of color and those in poverty.

The second is between U.S. students and those in other high-achieving nations that have made

greater and more equitable investments in education over the last 30 years. Earlier, Nevarez and

Wood (2007), determined that closing the achievement gap for low-performing, urban students

can be a daunting task for new urban school leaders given students of color continue to lag

behind their similarly situated others. Preparing leaders to competently address the multi-faceted

disparity entails understanding poverty impacts, and the culture differences unique to urban sites,

in addition to navigating ill-conceived discipline policies harmful to student learning outcomes.

The demands to address discipline and other non-academic barriers prevalent in what

Milner (2012) describes as urban intensiveness, can deter highly qualified principal applicants

from seeking employment in large urban school districts. Thus, these schools are often staffed

with inexperienced teachers lacking instructional expertise, in high need of support. Trying to

overcome many challenges, as a novice principal, can be unsettling and significantly influence

their perception of their own effectiveness during their first few years as an urban school

principals.

Novice principals unfamiliar with the challenges of urban social or cultural

characteristics Noguera (2003) described as “relatively poor and, in many cases, non-white” (p.

23) must at the same time develop pedagogical skill. According to Hernandez and Kose (2012),

“principals’ understanding and skills pertaining to diversity are important in leading diverse

schools and preparing all students for a democratic and multi-cultural society” (p.1). They

furthered that becoming a culturally competent leader must be a fundamental aspect of school

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

principals’ preparation and practice. While principal preparation programs are increasingly

realizing the importance of culturally competent leadership, effective veteran principals are

keenly aware of the need to know and understand the community they serve. Cultural

incompetence can be countered by explicit modeling from an effective, experienced, and

culturally sensitive mentor (Khalifa, 2020). Thus, the need for efficacious principal mentoring

programs as principals transition from their formal training to serve in communities they are

practicing is critical.

Scholars too have acknowledged that the mentorship of novice principals is a significant

need in urban settings where poverty, minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and

poor academic performance are prevalent (Banks & Banks, 2004). Daresh and Playko (1992)

posited that a novice principal mentoring program could be an effective tool to help beginning

principals survive their first few years. The current responsibilities encumbered by a school

leader transcends beyond the school building, involving the school community, business

partnerships, and other educational entities (Beard, 2021; Yirci & Kocabas, 2010). Balancing the

numerous aspects and developing their instructional leadership skills through a strong mentoring

program can help novice principals overcome many challenges faced during their first year on

the job (Yirci & Kocabas, 2010). We sought novice principal’s perception of their mentoring as

informative for other districts seeking to equip first year administrators with the tools to succeed.

Literature Review

School effectiveness has been linked both tangentially and directly to school leadership

yielding a variety of well researched leadership conceptualization from Fiedler’s (1964)

contingency model of leadership to instructional leadership (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985), and

more recently, relational and context centered leadership (Beard, 2018; Khalifa, 2020).

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

Leadership conceptualization matters in many ways however the effectiveness of school

leadership continues to be measured by student performance. The focus of this work was not on

any one specific leadership theory or model, but rather on the principal as learner in a mentoring

relationship. While acknowledging district level support of novice principals, professional

development and support programs have varying degrees of impact in preparing principals for

the work of leading urban schools effectively. This study sought to explore what novice

principals valued in their mentoring programs. As such, it employed social learning theory, self-

determination theory, and adult learning to frame the knowledge base. A review of the

background and elements of mentorship programs is also reviewed, as a framework.

Social Learning Theory

According to Thyers and Myers (1998), social learning theory explains human behavior

as “what a person does, regardless of the observable nature of the phenomena” (p. 36). Bandura

(1971), known as the founder of social learning theory, asserts that “virtually all learning

phenomena resulting from direct experiences can occur on a vicarious basis through observation

of other people’s behavior and its consequences for them” (p. 2). This theory promotes the

importance of modeling and underscores how individuals often feel unprepared for the

workplace.

Self-Determination Theory

Self-determination theory posits that people have an inherent growth tendency

(Vallerand, 2000) and asserts that peoples’ innate psychological needs must be met first to foster

self-motivation. Porter and Lawler (1968) suggest the work environment be restructured so that

effective performance enables both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. These components together

lead to better job satisfaction. In education, self-determination theory applies to different cultural

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

and institutional contexts and strives to understand and predict what energizes, directs, and

sustains behavior (Ryan & Deci, 2009).

Adult Learning Theory

Adult learning theory is a popular and often utilized theoretical framework (Morris,

2019). Knowles, founder of adult learning theory, defines it "as the art and science of helping

adults learn" (Merriam, 2001, p.5). This work was derived from the inquiry of whether adults

could learn, especially compared to their younger counterparts (Merriam, 2001). Framed in

behavioral research and learning theory, Knowles was the first to construct adult learning as

different from child learning (Merriam, 2001). Knowles argues that adult learning theory is

comprised of a set of working assumptions which Holton et al. (2001) explains as:

• adult learners need to understand the purpose of learning,

• there needs to be a correlation between adults' self-concept and a move toward self-

direction,

• a learner's prior experiences are essential and provide rich resources for learning,

• readiness to learn hinges on adult learners being faced with a performance task or life

situation,

• adults' orientation to learning is life-centered, and

• adult learning is internal and self-directed.

These six assumptions were constructed to best explain how adults learn in the workplace.

These theories share characteristics that validate the context of learning in collaboration rather

than isolation and together frame the need for a supportive and reassuring learning environment.

Augustine et al. (2016) suggests that “having someone to share issues and concerns in a

confidential setting is paramount to the new principal’s success” (p. 10). To that end, time must

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

be provided for new principal mentees to observe veteran professionals in their work, experience

both internal and external motivators to continue growing in their practice, and understand their

learning needs as adults. According to Crocker & Harris (2002), working closing with

experienced mentors positions novice principals to find success as they embark on their

leadership careers. This underscores the importance of districts adopting and implementing

principal mentoring program for principals.

Mentorship as a Framework

There is evidence that connects effective school leadership and student achievement

(Dutta & Sahney, 2016). To support the instructional leadership of novice principals, an inherent

need for effective mentors has led to the research, and development of principal mentoring

programs across the nation. Considering the complicated work Hoy and Miskel (2013) describe

as “feverish and consuming” (p. 428), a new principal must learn early how to manage

effectively. A systemic and structured support system is vital to sustaining a beginning

principal's success. Augustine et al. (2016) asserted that "principals need high quality mentoring

and professional development in their first year accompanied by contextually specific strategies

to understand the values of the school community and serve the school community effectively”

(p. 11). Professional development is key to a school leader’s success because "school leadership

is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning” (Leithwood et al., 2020,

p. 5). Scholars agree that school leadership positively influences teaching and learning and is

vital to the success of school improvement efforts (Hattie, 2008; Seashore Louis, 2010). With the

expectation that a shift is made from principal as manager to instructional leader, it is critical that

aspiring principals become more centered on leading learning communities that facilitate change

(Crocker & Harris, 2002). To this end, the literature supports the argument that mentorship, by

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

effective veteran principals, plays a critical role in strengthening school leadership (Gumus,

2019).

Elements of a Mentorship Program in K-12

Gumus (2019) investigated a K-12 mentorship program implemented in Georgia.

Mentorship in this study designed for elementary and middle school principals was an integral

part of the novice principal’s professional development and facilitated by an experienced

principal. Gumus (2019) suggested that this opportunity was the most significant type of

professional development. In Georgia, the mentorship program prioritized specific characteristics

that mentors should possess to qualify for the mentorship program. Qualities identified as

significant for mentors to possess include good listening skills, strong communication skills,

reflectiveness, and compassion. Mentor training was also an essential component of Georgia’s

principal mentoring program (Gumus, 2019).

One successful indicator outlined by Georgia’s systemic plan was a decreased feeling of

isolation by the mentee. A reduced sense of isolation could be attributed to the mentee’s

responsibility to schedule monthly on-site visits with their mentor. The mentee also had

unlimited access to their mentor, with the autonomy to call or text their mentor whenever they

had a question or encountered a challenge. An evaluative component of the systemic plan

included a pre-survey administered to the mentees to determine their areas of strength and

weakness. Information from these surveys were then used to inform professional learning

opportunities for the mentee and strategic action plans were developed on topics such as

evaluation, school achievement, data analysis, time-management, and instructional leadership.

Together, the elements of this mentorship program provided necessary supports for novice

principals.

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

Methods

In this case study we sought to understand experiences of eight novice principals who

participated in a first-year principal mentoring program. We were specifically interest was which

elements of the program they perceived prepared them well for urban school principalship and

how they perceived their relationship with their assigned mentor. To best explore the novice

principal’s perceptions of their program and relationship with mentors, two general questions

guided the study:

1. What elements of the principal mentoring program were identified by principals in

the program as preparing them for the principalship in an urban district?

2. What was the perception of a novice principal’s relationship with their district

assigned mentor in a principal mentoring program?

Study Participants

Purposeful sampling based on specific criteria was used. The principals needed to be

practicing leaders at the elementary school level, having had recently completed the district’s

mentoring program. To ensure a wide and diverse pool of applicants, participants were sought

from different regions within this large Mid-western urban district. Participant recruitment began

during the summer of 2020. Following IRB and the Urban district’s approval, the district

Superintendent’s designee identified ten elementary principals to participate in the study. An

email sent to these principals yielded eight administrators willing to participate in the study.

All participants represented the initial criteria of: 1) being an elementary school administrator, 2)

having participated in the program within the last three years, and 3) serving in various regions

of the urban district. Table 1 details additional participant demographics.

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

Table 1

Participant Demographics

Participant Gender Years Removed

From Program

Note. In an effort to maintain integrity and anonymity within a small sample size, participant

races are not identified in conjunction with gender. The identified participant racial composition

was two (25% Caucasian), with one identifying as Latinx-non-black, and six (75%) African

American or Black. The percentage of Black administrators is high when compared to the 19%

as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Characteristics of Public

Elementary and Secondary Schools in the United States: Results From the 2015–16 National

Teacher and Principal Survey First Look (NCES 2017-071) retrieved from:

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017070.pdf. It is important to note that while this report is the

most current, it does not disaggregate elementary principals from secondary. The number of

urban elementary principals could be higher than 19%.

Although no personal connections existed between the researchers and participants, and no one

was in an evaluative position over the participants, the researchers (as described in Table 2) did

serve as mentors to novice principals and had participated in mentorship programs to varying

degrees.

Table 2

Researcher Descriptions

Researcher Race Gender K-12 Experience Credentials Mentoring Experience

Black

Teacher,

Administrator,

Ed.D. in Ed

Admin

Urban Principal

Principal for three

Urban Schools

Mentor to Novice

Urban Principals

Caucasian

Teacher,

Suburban

Principal

Developed a

suburban district’s

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

Administrator,

Assistant

Professor,

Ph.D. in Ed

Admin

Superintendent

new leaders mentor

program

Official mentor to five

head principals and

eight assistant

principals

Director of secondary

education mentoring

and overseeing eight

high school and

middle school

principals

Head principal

overseeing new hires

Black

Teacher,

Administrator,

Associate

Professor,

Ph.D., in Ed

Admin

Urban Principal

Superintendent

Urban Leadership

Cadet Program

Assistant Coordinator

of Summer

Superintendent

Program

7 years as head

Principal overseeing

new hires in three

urban schools

These multi experienced perspectives brought professional teacher and administrator practitioner

understandings to their roles as (seasoned) researchers.

Several additional measures were adopted to address the problem of undermining the

study with bias or justifying interpretations to intentionally employ trustworthiness and

credibility (Creswell, 2014). To maximize trustworthiness Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) criteria

were established during the research process: credibility, described as the researchers confidence

in the truth revealed in the results, transferability, described as the degree to which the results

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

were applicable in other contexts, dependability, described as consistent and repetitive results,

and conformability, described as results that were objective and shaped by the participants’

narratives rather than the researchers’ bias. Prioritizing these criteria served as an impetus to

setting a fair and equitable environment for all participants throughout the study.

Data Collection

Data collection began in August (Autumn semester) of the following academic year. In

light of COVID-19 safety protocols, and with respect for the principal’s time and capacity,

interviews were conducted via Zoom. Zoom provided transcription useful for analysis. The semi-

structured interviews were conducted via a virtual platform, each lasting approximately one hour.

Participants reviewed, discussed, and signed consent forms prior to starting their interviews. To

maintain research quality, participant responses were transcribed and then member checked

(Charmaz, 2014; Glesne, 2016) for accuracy. Triangulation was achieved through interview

member check, coding, and data comparison for validation.

Data Analysis

Analysis began in December and results were verified in March. Each of the eight

participants (described in Table 1) were interviewed once. After interviews were conducted, the

transcripts were analyzed. To initiate the process, researchers collaborated in review of the

transcripts. In this initial process, codes were created. Applying an iterative coding process

(Maxwell, 2012), researchers read through the transcripts multiple times refining and verifying

the coding scheme until codes were mutually exclusive (Creswell, 2014). After the initial manual

coding, the qualitative analysis software program NVIVO (QSR International, 2020) was used to

compare codes. Researchers reviewed both manual and software codes to identify patterns in

analyses. These patterns led to the development of common (emergent) themes across participant

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

interviews. As themes emerged, the findings were connected back to the research questions

undergirding this study.

Findings

While the study was guided by the questions designed to explore what elements the

principals perceived prepared them for urban principalship and what they perceived as valuable

in their relationship with their mentor, the second inquiry was addressed in the exploration of the

first. Essentially, the mentees appreciated and valued the quality time spent with their mentors as

thy sorted out challenges presented in their first year. This section details the five emergent

themes participants found to be important reflective of the main inquiry of the study. Novice

principals benefit from a) formal mentoring programs, b) quality time with mentors, c) mentors

with strong leadership experience, d) mentor guidance with executing district policies and

procedures, and e) a positive relationship with mentors that includes open communication.

Formal Mentoring Programs

Understanding experiences of a novice principal is key to identifying the elements of

a quality principal mentoring program. This information is key for districts as they craft principal

mentoring programs in large urban districts. The consensus among participants was a formally

structured mentoring program would be more beneficial than an informal mentoring model.

Based on participant responses, a formal mentoring program should include objectives, goals,

and timelines. For instance, one participant shared, “I was just told that I would have a mentor,

but there was never an orientation at the start of the year.” The participant expressed the absence

of a formal structure created more challenges as a first-year leader. Regardless of participant

gender or number of years removed from the program, novice principals agreed that a program’s

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

objectives, goals, and timelines should be clearly communicated during the orientation process to

increase their understanding and maximize program effectiveness.

Quality Time with Mentors

Quality time, described by participants as availability to one’s mentor when needed, was

a common barrier discussed by novice principals during the interview process. Novice principals

identified a significant responsibility of the mentor was to ensure the novice principal had

adequate time with them. When time between the mentor and the mentee was compromised, the

capacity to manage day-to-day building challenges was cited as an obstacle. The study also

underscored that novice principals who spent more time with their mentor described a better

work-life balance. This was corroborated by one participant who expressed, “Having more one

on one time with my mentor was needed. A balance between outside work, lack of follow

through from the program itself, and the consistency was a weakness.” This was significant to a

novice principal’s first year on the job because work-life balance, according to participants,

promoted a healthier outlook on the principal role. To this end, novice principals who were

satisfied with the amount of time they spent with their experienced mentor felt more productive

on the job.

Mentors with Strong Leadership Experience

Understanding that school leadership is a significant factor contributing to what students

learn at school, supports the importance of an effective principal in every school. In addition to

principal training programs, being paired with mentors with strong experience as effective urban

school leaders had a direct impact on first year principals and emerged as a key element to a

quality mentorship program. This study’s findings uncovered a mentor model was essential for

today’s urban novice school leader. All the participants expressed a significant benefit to having

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

an experienced mentor to guide and support them during their first year on the job. This

sentiment was described by one participant, “Having my mentor see me in my first-year setting

was helpful to meeting my individual needs as a first-year principal.” Participants cited how

important an experienced mentor was to a novice principal’s confidence in their new role and

attributed to their increased understanding of being an urban school leader.

Mentors with a plethora of leadership experience are also positioned to give constructive

feedback. All participants spoke passionately about how critical the experienced mentor’s

guidance was on the novice principal’s leadership development. One participant shared how

mentor feedback influenced her ability to maximize her leadership potential, “I could then ask

for feedback on what I could do as a mentee to grow and where I should focus my time. I felt

that was really useful.” All participants expressed the significance of an experienced mentor’s

feedback to meet the demands and challenges of the urban school leader. Feedback provided to a

novice principal increased the mentee’s effectiveness in the role, improved their level of

confidence, and positively impacted their growth and development.

Mentor Guidance with Executing District Policies and Procedures

Information leading to an increased understanding of district policies and procedures

emerged as a significant element to a quality mentoring program in this study. Findings

emphasized the responsibility of experienced principals to inform novice principals on school

system policies and procedures as a priority. Novice principals spoke passionately about the need

to understand district policies and procedures, extant of gender or number of years in the role, in

order to effectively navigate their job responsibilities. One participant stressed, “The mentoring

program helped me to learn operational procedures of the district like in-school suspension,

attendance, and enrollment procedures.” Novice principals who felt ill-informed on district

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

policy cited difficulty in managing the responsibilities of a first-year urban school leader.

Additionally, lack of access to district resources, including digital binders and monthly to-do

lists, was identified as a workplace stressor.

Participants’ responses revealed a desire to be provided resources that kept them abreast

of upcoming deadlines and promoted task-oriented leadership skills. “Access to an elementary

digital binder or timeline of important events would have strengthened the mentoring program’s

objectives,” one participant explained. It was evident that unclear expectations of district policies

and procedures posed a challenge for novice principals and was cited by participants as a barrier

to responding proactively to the daily demands of the principalship. An experienced mentor able

to provide novice principals with information on important policies and procedures was

discussed by participants as critical to promoting autonomy and independence in the workplace.

Positive Relationships with Mentors that Includes Open Communication

Most participants talked positively about their work environment in association with a

positive relationship with their mentors. Participants’ indicated relationships with their mentors

had a major impact on their first-year experience. Relationships, described by participants as a

positive, professional working relationship with an experienced mentor were essential to the

success of the novice principal. Novice principals described a more positive attitude when paired

with a supportive mentor. One principal captured the essence of her relationship with her mentor

stating, “We were mutually supportive of each other.” Novice principals who felt supported by

an experienced mentor also shared a feeling of longevity in the principalship.

A positive mentor and mentee relationship helped novice principals feel more prepared to

handle the demands of the job, accomplish short-term goals, and continue a level of excitement

about future growth in the role. Novice principals in the study talked about how a positive

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

relationship with their district assigned mentor exceeded expectations and eventually transitioned

from a professional relationship to a personal relationship. Lastly, although not a standalone

theme, the importance of communication, described by participants as open and consistent, was

nested under positive relationships between mentors and mentees. Participants expressed how

important it was for them to be able to communicate their challenges to their mentors so in-turn

those mentors could help support the development of leadership skills in more explicit ways. For

instance, one participant stated, “I could just pick up the phone to talk with my mentor at any

time.” This open line of communication was key for participants to work through challenges in a

timely, and safe, manner. In conclusion, participants who experienced consistent and open

communication with their experienced mentor appeared to have a better outlook on their first-

year principal assignment and seemed more confident in their perceived level of preparedness to

meet the job responsibilities.

Concluding Discussion

Literature on the benefits of principal mentoring programs underscore a positive

relationship between principal mentoring programs and instructional leadership (Augustine et al.,

2016). Educational reform initiatives that include principal mentoring programs are integral to

the development of novice urban school leaders. While this study adds to the literature

supporting transformative learning and mentoring in the principalship, its relevance lies in the

fact mentoring is a critical component of preparation and can have a positive impact on an

aspiring principal’s learning process (Bickmore et al., 2019). They furthered that “few

researchers have explicitly examined the benefits to practicing principals engaged in mentoring

aspiring principals” (p. 235).

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

The findings of this study suggest that if urban school districts want to ensure principal

effectiveness sustainability over time, districts administrators should consider requiring novice

principals to participate in first year principal mentoring programs to support their growth as

leaders. Specifically, the mentoring program design should incorporate careful mentor selection,

e.g., mentors with strong leadership experience and able to specifically support mentees execute

district policies and procedures, and allow for the organic positive relationships that develop with

open communication and dedicated time. Requiring novice principals to be mentored in this way

could not only decrease principal turnover, noted as a national problem, but also increase the

number of applicants interested in urban school district leadership (Mascall & Leithwood, 2010).

It would most certainly and ultimately better inform and equip urban principals’ sustainability

and career trajectory, from the beginning.

Note: This article represents the doctoral work of Dr. Rhonda Nichelle Peeples. Dr. Peeples was

a Columbus City Principal who passed away unexpectedly during the publication process.

Knowing Nikki's dedication and passion for this topic, Drs. Beard and Miller worked on this

manuscript for publication to posthumously honor Nikki and all of the good she brought to bear

on K-12 urban education in the state of Ohio.

Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational

Administration (OCPEA), Volume 7, Issue 1, 2022

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