A descriptive case study of a Florida school district's human resource management development plan: Preparing New Principals Program

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine and describe the characteristics of one part of a selected Florida school district's HRMD leadership development plan known as the Preparing New Principals Program (PNPP) in relation to the development of Florida's 19 Principal Competencies. The researcher wanted to determine the strengths and weaknesses of this district-sponsored principal preparation program as well as identify the extent to which it incorporated the Principles for Effective Adult Learning.; District documents were collected and analyzed; observations of specific learning experiences were made; and interviews with 12 of 22 elementary, middle school, and high school principals who had graduated from the PNPP since 1996 were completed.; The researcher concluded that seven of Florida's Principal Competencies could be completely developed through this district's PNPP: (a) proactive orientation, (b) decisiveness, (c) interpersonal sensitivity, (d) information search and analysis, (e) managing interactions, (f) management control, and (g) self-presentation. The characteristic of the PNPP that supported the development of the most principal competencies was when the assistant principal assumed the roles and responsibilities of the principalship of the school for 6 weeks. The Principles for Effective Adult Learning that were incorporated the most often in this program were (a) praxis or action with reflection, (b) engagement of learners in what they are learning, and (c) accountability for learning.; This research study found that the pivotal person in the development of assistant principals and their principal competencies was the school principal. It is important for principals to be versed in Problem-based learning and reflective thinking as well as how to use real needs and problems to meet the competency development needs of the assistant principals. Principals must be aware of the specialized needs of the adult learner when mentoring assistant principals.