| The principalship is a challenging endeavor. Without question, principals need support. The idea of mentoring as a leadership capacity development strategy for school leaders is present in recent literature and has been utilized frequently as a serviceable tool throughout the past few decades. Mentoring models exist in many shapes and forms. Within the literature that has been written about coaching and mentoring of school leaders, almost all of it is aimed at new or pre-service principals. In contrast, information about mentoring for experienced or in-service principals is rare. Although many authors have tried, it is difficult to grasp the complexity of the principal's job. In general, the principal's day is often characterized by fragmented, isolated events and interactions, often occurring in rapid succession. Much research suggests that principals identify other school leaders as one of their primary sources of assistance and professional improvement. Mentoring plays a big part in those relationships and the purpose of this study is to sift out those mentoring and coaching practices that experienced principals find to be helpful in strengthening their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This study will be a qualitative inquiry that focuses on inductive rather than deductive analytical approaches, utilizing semi-structured interviews as the primary data source. Potential subjects for the study will be identified through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction administrative salary report, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) professional needs survey, and snowball sampling techniques. K--12 principals with three or more years of experience will be invited to participate if they identify a specific mentor/coach/trusted advisor, who is also willing to participate. The findings of this study will be shared with interested participants as a potential means for improving practice and the continued learning of experienced school leaders through mentoring and coaching. |
