Leading from the second chair

“The assistant principal’s leadership role within a school plays a significant part in their professional growth and success. At a Glance The role of the assistant principal is complex and often underappreciated, despite their importance in shaping school culture. Three common leadership models — collaborative, reactive, and defender — tend to characterize the work of the assistant principal. Research has shown that collaborative approaches, in which assistant principals work alongside the principal, have significant benefits for the AP and the school as a whole. To empower assistant principals as collaborative leaders, schools and districts need to provide tailored leadership development, experiential learning opportunities, mentorship, and a clear pipeline to future roles. An assistant principal (AP) is critical to a school’s overall success, yet this multifaceted role is often misunderstood or significantly underappreciated. As the second-in-command, assistant principals frequently navigate ambiguous professional territory, where the expectations placed upon them are exceptionally high. But they may receive limited guidance, clarity, and recognition for their contributions. As they “lead from the second chair,” the assistant principal must provide robust leadership and essential support while operating within a subordinate role. While principals often serve as the highly visible public face of a school, assistant principals frequently function as the indispensable glue that quietly holds the entire school community together. Their responsibilities span an astonishingly broad spectrum that includes managing everything from student discipline to complex bus schedules, fostering meaningful family engagement, and ensuring robust safety protocols. They lead critical meetings and are increasingly expected to provide substantive instructional leadership. The inherent ambiguity and extensive scope of assistant principal duties can regrettably result in significant role conflict. The inherent ambiguity and extensive scope of assistant principal duties can regrettably result in significant role conflict, simultaneously rendering the position immensely rewarding and incredibly demanding (Kwan, 2009). Consequently, understanding the intricate frameworks within which assistant principals operate is pivotal for fostering their success, ensuring their professional development, and ultimately strengthening the school’s leadership capacity. Leadership models for assistant principals Assistant principals typically function within three different positional models: the collaborative leadership model, the supportive but reactive leadership model, and the defender role. These models sometimes manifest as distinct approaches, but they can also be subtly interwoven. Understanding these approaches empowers APs to strategically identify the specific leadership model or models they predominantly serve in, thereby fostering greater administrative harmony, clarity, and overall effectiveness within the school’s leadership team. Collaborative leadership In certain school settings, the assistant principal functions as a true collaborative partner with the principal. Together, they form a cohesive and highly effective shared leadership team in which each leader possesses distinct areas of responsibility. Yet they genuinely share certain core responsibilities, particularly in critical areas such as student discipline, curriculum development, professional staff development, and proactive engagement with families. Through their intersecting roles, they can ensure comprehensive and integrated school management. Such genuinely shared leadership not only streamlines operations but also fosters a vibrant school culture characterized by mutual respect, collective efficacy, and a shared commitment to student success (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2018). In certain school settings, the assistant principal functions as a true collaborative partner with the principal. Together, they form a cohesive and highly effective shared leadership team in which each leader possesses distinct areas of responsibility. Beyond mere operational efficiency, this model offers rich opportunities for in-depth professional development. By working closely and consistently with their principals, APs benefit immensely from ongoing, real-time mentorship. They receive immediate and constructive feedback and nuanced guidance, which sharpens their leadership capacity and decision-making skills. Robust mentorship relationships between principals and assistant principals significantly enhancethelatter’sreadinessandconfidenceforassumingfuture,elevatedleadershiproles (Barnett, Shoho, & Oleszewski, 2012). This synergy also ensures strategic alignment across the entire school and cultivates a culture of shared vision. The principal can dedicate more of their valuable time to overarching long-term instructional goals and visionary planning while the AP actively reinforces and operationalizes those goals through their daily interactions with staff, students, and parents. Such a partnership creates a positive cycle that can boost staff morale, improve student achievement, and build a strong foundation of trust within the wider school community. In a collaborative model, a principal and assistant principal might jointly lead the implementation of a new schoolwide positive behavior intervention system. They would co-plan professional development for staff, share responsibility for monitoring student behavior data, co-facilitate discussions with student groups, and collectively strategize on parent communication, ensuring a unified and consistent approach. Sharing the work lightens their individual workloads while also leveraging their diverse perspectives, leading to more innovative and sustainable solutions. Supportive but reactive leadership Another model positions the assistant principal primarily behind the principal in a supportive and responsive role. Here, the AP manages emergent issues that the principal cannot immediately address, strategically delegates, or inadvertently overlooks due to other pressing priorities. This model frequently reflects a more traditional, hierarchical structure, where the AP’s primary function is to diligently implement the principal’s directives and ensure seamless operational continuity across the school. This model aligns with James Spillane’s (2005) theory of distributed leadership, which emphasizes the need for meticulously defined responsibilities and coherent communication among all members of a leadership team to avoid systemic inefficiencies and role confusion. This form of leadership, while undoubtedly valuable and necessary for maintaining daily functionality, can present significant professional and personal challenges for the assistant principal. Instead of consistently participating in long-term instructional planning, curriculum development, or schoolwide improvement initiatives, APs spend their time resolving immediate student conflicts, responding to urgent parent concerns, or addressing unforeseen logistical emergencies. While these tasks are undeniably essential, their overwhelming prevalence can prevent APs from fully developing their broader instructional and strategic leadership potential, stifling their growth into future principal roles. The constant state of “firefighting” can lead to a sense of professional stagnation, where the AP feels perpetually busy, yet rarely influential. An AP in this model might spend most of their day handling a series of student discipline referrals, addressing an unexpected plumbing issue, and then fielding a last-minute parent complaint about bus routes, leaving little to no time for planned classroom observations or data analysis aimed at improving teaching practices. This constant reactivity, while necessary, can also lead to increased stress and a feeling of being undervalued, as their contributions are often only recognized in crisis resolution. The defender role The most intensely demanding (and hopefully not the most common) model is one in which the assistant principal plays the role of defender, while technically serving from the second chair. In this dynamic, the principal displays minimal effort in handling the day-to-day operations of the school, while the assistant principal handles most of it: acting as an instructional leader, managing conflicts, mediating crises, and absorbing pressure that would generally be handled by the principal. The assistant principal takes on this role due to their desire to create an environment that meets the needs of students and staff. They shield the principal’s leadership, but at great personal and professional cost. Over time, this imbalance can lead to burnout, stagnation, and a persistent sense of being undervalued, as the assistant principal’s contributions are frequently overlooked. The Wallace Foundation (2013) states that truly effective school leaders must relentlessly prioritize teaching and learning above all else. However, assistant principals who are consumed by an endless array of operational tasks are pulled away from vital instructional coaching, curriculum development, and academic oversight. This diversion significantly diminishes their potential impact on comprehensive school improvement and tangible student achievement. Moreover, the lack of balance in responsibilities frequently results in alarmingly limited professional recognition. Assistant principals in this position may feel invisible and isolated, which leads to professional disengagement. Without robust systems of active support, clear acknowledgement, and equitable distribution of duties, an assistant principal trapped in this model may experience profound job dissatisfaction, ultimately leading them to either disengage from their role or, tragically, leave the education profession altogether (Marshall & Hooley, 2006). Imagine an AP who consistently fields parent complaints about teachers, manages every student suspension, and organizes all emergency drills, while the principal primarily attends district-level meetings. The AP effectively becomes the school’s primary problem solver and conflict-absorber, leaving them little bandwidth for instructional leadership or strategic planning. This constant exposure to conflict and minimal strategic input can erode morale and lead to a feeling of being an administrative gatekeeper, rather than a true educational leader. Cultivating effective assistant principals Each school’s unique context and the distinct personalities of both the principal and the assistant principal often shape the leadership model that emerges within the relationship. But research has shown that the collaborative approach has the most positive impact on student achievement and school culture. Empowering assistant principals as significant instructional and cultural leaders results in markedly increased staff morale, more innovative problem solving, and demonstrably more effective decision-making (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2018). Sharing responsibility in this way not only enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of daily school operations but fundamentally strengthens relationships among all stakeholders — teachers, staff, students, and parents — fostering a dynamic and supportive environment where both staff and students can truly thrive and reach their full potential. To develop a robust and sustainable pipeline of highly effective school leaders, it is of absolute significance that both districts and individual principals invest in intentional, tailored, and continuous professional development designed for assistant principals. This commitment must extend far beyond generic training modules and instead employ strategies to empower them within their current pivotal leadership role. By strategically focusing on and diligently implementing the following comprehensive strategies, schools can not only significantly enhance the skills, capabilities, and confidence of their assistant principals but also actively foster a more robust and truly distributed leadership structure throughout the entire institution. Tailored leadership programs Cohort-based leadership academies designed explicitly for assistant principals should move beyond theoretical concepts to include job-embedded coaching sessions and real-world action research projects that directly connect to current school improvement efforts (Reeves, 2009). The curriculum should be practical, focusing on advanced skills in data analysis, curriculum integration, staff supervision and evaluation, conflict resolution specific to the AP role, and strategic planning. For example, such a program might involve an AP leading a small-scale school improvement project, receiving individualized coaching on their leadership approach, and presenting their findings to a peer cohort for feedback and shared learning. This type of program ensures that learning is immediately applicable and directly contributes to school success. Experiential learning and instructional rounds APs benefit from abundant and structured opportunities to observe and participate in effective leadership in action. Instructional rounds allow APs to observe teaching and learning in various classrooms, analyze practices, and discuss findings with colleagues. Visits to multiple high-performing schools can offer invaluable exposure to diverse leadership styles and innovative educational practices. Shadowing experienced principals for extended periods can allow APs to witness firsthand the complexities of schoolwide decision making and crisis management. This ongoing, hands-on observation allows for practical learning and the development of crucial skills in real-world, dynamic contexts that cannot be replicated in a classroom setting. Robust mentorship systems Formal structured mentorship pairings with experienced, successful principals who are committed to guiding and developing their assistant principals provide a safe and confidential space for reflective practice (Barnett, Shoho, & Oleszewski, 2012). Enabling APs to process challenges, seek advice, and learn from a seasoned leader significantly enhances an AP’s confidence, resilience, and problem-solving abilities. Both formal, program-driven mentoring and informal, organic mentoring relationships can provide consistent support and guidance throughout an AP’s journey. A successful mentorship might involve weekly check-ins, joint problem-solving sessions, and debriefs after challenging events, creating a strong bond of trust and professional development. C lear career progression Clear, transparent, and equitable pathways articulate specific milestones that assistant principals need to achieve, detail required professional development experiences and include targeted coaching opportunities designed to prepare them for the top leadership role. Transparency about expectations and opportunities is vital to reduce attrition among promising APs and to build a strong, capable pipeline of future school leaders. This might involve a formal principal preparation program, specific leadership portfolios to demonstrate readiness, and opportunities to serve as interim principals or lead significant schoolwide initiatives. Providing a clear pathway to future roles motivates APs and ensures a steady supply of qualified leaders for the district. The district role in cultivating APs The cultivation of effective assistant principals extends beyond the individual school. Districts also play a pivotal role in establishing the conditions that enable APs to thrive and transition into future principal roles. This involves more than simply occasional professional development. It requires a systemic commitment to viewing the assistant principalship as a critical pipeline for leadership. First, districts must implement clear policies that define the scope of the assistant principal’s role, promoting consistency across schools while allowing for necessary autonomy. This includes outlining expectations for instructional leadership, administrative duties, and professional growth. Leading from the second chair demands an exceptional blend of adaptability, resilience, and commitment to the entire school community. Second, districts should allocate dedicated resources — both financial and human — to specifically support assistant principal development programs. This might involve funding for external leadership training, access to mentorship networks, or even a district-level AP support specialist. Without targeted funding, schools and principals may lack the capacity to invest adequately in their APs. Finally, districts are responsible for fostering a systemwide culture that values and recognizes the immense contributions of assistant principals. Regular district-level meetings for APs, opportunities for cross-school collaboration, and public acknowledgment of their achievements can significantly boost morale and professional identity. When districts prioritize AP development, they are not merely investing in individual leaders but are strategically building a resilient and effective leadership infrastructure that can adapt to future challenges and consistently drive school improvement across the entire system. Empowering the second chair Leading from the second chair demands an exceptional blend of adaptability, resilience, and commitment to the entire school community. Assistant principals are truly indispensable. They play a pivotal role in shaping school culture, maintaining stability, and promoting student success across all grade levels and academic pathways. Providing comprehensive support and strategic development supports and strengthens the entire school community. By cultivating the leadership potential of APs and equipping them with the necessary tools, opportunities, and systemic support to lead effectively, we enable schools to more effectively guide all students toward a successful future. An active and empowered assistant principal is undoubtedly a cornerstone of effective school leadership that fosters immense impact and lasting positive change. References Barnett, B.G., Shoho, A.R., & Oleszewski, A.M. (2012). The job realities of beginning and experienced assistant principal. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 11 (1), 92-128. Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., & Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2018). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach . Pearson. Kwan, P. (2009). The vice-principal experience as a preparation for the principalship. Journal of Educational Administration, 47 (2), 191-205. Marshall, C. & Hooley, R.M. (2006). The assistant principal: Leadership choices and challenges . Corwin Press. Reeves, D.B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results . ASCD. Spillane, J. P. (2005). Distributed leadership. The Educational Forum , 69 (2), 143-150. Wallace Foundation. (2013). The school principal as leader: Guiding schools to better teaching and learning . This article appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Kappan, Vol. 107, No. 7-8. The post Leading from the second chair appeared first on Kappan Online .

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