4 Essential Strategies for Thriving in Your First Year as an Assistant Principal

New to the assistant principalship this year? Congratulations, and welcome! We’ve compiled four strategies to ensure you have a great first year—and set a solid foundation for the years ahead.

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You did it! You decided that you wanted to step up and become an assistant principal, and here you are. 

We’re so happy to have you. And you’re so needed in this role.

The paths to the assistant principalship—and the reasons for heading down that path—are as varied as the role itself. Perhaps you’re a strategic thinker that wants to put your strengths to use by helping to lead schoolwide instruction, facilitate meaningful community partnerships, or create more equitable school policies. Maybe you’ve been a teacher leader for some time now, and are looking to make a broader impact—and reach more students—than your current role will allow. 

No matter what the reason might be, you’re joining a group of leaders that continue to rise in both stature and impact. There are more assistant principals in K-12 public schools around the United States than ever before, and it’s a testament to how important your role is.

However, we also know that while a principal’s role might be mostly standardized, an assistant principal’s career path and day-to-day responsibilities are anything but. To help you get your bearings in your new role in the short-term—and make sure you lay the groundwork for a successful year ahead—we’ve outlined four strategies to consider as you move into the assistant principalship.

Get clear on your partnership with your principal

Clarity is kindness, as the old saying goes. Getting a solid understanding of your role and your principal’s behavior and value set is one of the kindest things you can do—for yourself and for your principal.

Clarity is kindness, as the old saying goes. Getting a solid understanding of your role and your principal’s behavior and value set is one of the kindest things you can do—for yourself and for your principal.

When this principal took the helm of a new school, his role also coincided with the hiring of a new assistant principal. As they quickly acquainted themselves with one another and worked to develop a shared vision for the school, they realized that their partnership meant they needed to find the intersection of their individual strengths and talents. One of the ways they did that was to create individual “user manuals” and share them with one another. The manuals each provided a comprehensive guide to each leader’s working style, communication preferences, strengths and weaknesses, values, and expectations. 

By sharing this information and using it as a learning opportunity, the two leaders forged an immediate partnership based on empathy and understanding. They were also able to get clear about roles and responsibilities, using each other’s strengths to decide who would handle specific tasks—clarity that helped them avoid potential conflicts early on.

Of course, you’ll also want clarity around your principal’s goals and vision for your school, as your role is to support those goals in both the short- and the long-term. 

Focus on building strong relationships from the start

This associate principal says it best: “Know all your people, know who you’re working with everyday. Know your kids. Know the relationships. Get out from behind your desk. Get in the hallways.” 

Being visible and physically present with your teachers and staff is the first stepping stone to building trust. The more you get to know your teachers, the more you’re able to support them—whether it’s by covering for them for short periods so they can take a mental health break, or learning their favorite snacks and drinks and having those on hand. It’s all about making them feel seen.

Being visible and physically present with your teachers and staff is the first stepping stone to building trust. 

This goes for the students in your building as well. While you might spend the majority of your day with teachers and staff, it’s critical that you understand how students are experiencing your school so you can determine what improvements need to be made. 

A great way to do this? Make a plan to shadow your students for a day or two. One assistant principal did exactly this after a student asked if might be able to change his class schedule. She shadowed him for an entire school day—beginning with gym class at 7:30 am! Not only did she come away from the experience with a deep understanding of that student’s school day, but she also saw where her school might be focusing too much on placing students in classes based on test scores. 

Learn to have hard conversations

Something unavoidable about moving into the assistant principal role is having difficult conversations with teachers—especially if you used to work alongside them. After all, you’ve been in their shoes. You may know what it feels like to not feel heard or seen, and you want to do things differently now that you’re in a position of leadership.

Something unavoidable about moving into the assistant principal role is having difficult conversations with teachers—especially if you’ve worked alongside them. 

All the same, there will be many moments where it will be necessary to address a conflict or give feedback. Here are a few ways to make it easier: 

• Be prepared by thinking through what you want to communicate and the steps you’ll take to make it happen. It’s also a good idea to consider what the likely response might be from that particular teacher or staff member.
• Start with respect. When you start a conversation with “We have an issue,” or something similar, there’s a good chance the person you’re talking with will immediately be on the defensive. Instead, opt for an opening like, “I appreciate you and want you to know that…” or if you have a shared history, “We’ve worked together for more than a decade, and you have my respect for…” 
• Find a way forward. Just as starting hard conversations can be tough, so can ending them. Focus on exploring solutions together before agreeing to a plan, and make sure to set a date in the near future to review how things are going. 

Build a strong network of support

As much as we’re told that vulnerability is a strength, let’s admit it: there will be times where you don’t want to go to your principal. Still, you’ll want to have someone to call for advice—someone who’s lived it.

As much as we’re told that vulnerability is a strength, let’s admit it: there will be times where you don’t want to go to your principal. Still, you’ll want to have someone to call for advice—someone who’s lived it.

This is where it will help to proactively build a network of support to lean on—whether that’s a mentor inside or outside your school or district, a group of first-year colleagues or other assistant principals, or ideally, both. It was a new administrators program in her school that was especially helpful to this principal, who said it was great to not only talk about how to handle a specific situation, but also to exchange ideas on everything from professional development to disciplinary advice. 

While this piece of advice might be more helpful later on in your AP journey, it’s helpful to plant the seed: focus on building your network beyond assistant principals and principals. As this principal says, “If you are working under principals and your entire network is just principals, you are kind of limited to just what principles know.” If there’s a passion project you’re interested in—like expanding advanced placement courses for high school students or focusing on curriculum and instruction, it might be helpful to expand your network to those who work at your local university, or someone in your state’s department of public instruction. 

You won’t fully know the job until you do it—and that’s okay

Even if you’ve come to the assistant principalship by way of years of teaching and teacher leader experience, or you’ve been through a leadership training program, the reality is that you won’t truly be ready for the role until you’ve been immersed in it for several months. 

So, don’t get down on yourself for not knowing everything immediately. Instead, concentrate on continuing to learn on the job while also seeking out mentorship, peer networks, and professional development opportunities that will all help you gain perspective—and confidence—in your role.

This first year will be a whirlwind—and that’s expected. The experience you gain is all in service of making you be the best AP you can be for the long-term.

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