Instructional Leadership: Perceptions of Assistant Principals on Their Work Pre- and Post-COVID

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of assistant principals as instructional leaders, pre- and post-COVID. This study addressed three research questions: 1) How do assistant principals define and enact instructional leadership? 2) What supports or hinders assistant principals’ efforts to engage in instructional leadership/function as instructional leaders? 3) How has instructional leadership for assistant principals (d)evolved throughout the COVID-19 response efforts? Survey participants included 59 secondary Texas Region XI assistant principals, with 10 assistant principals participating in the interview portion of the study. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used to examine elements of instructional leadership and how assistant principals perceived their roles. Rich, thick descriptions were used to convey assistant principals' perceptions as instructional leaders pre- and post-COVID. The findings revealed that assistant principals felt they enacted instructional leadership primarily by supporting teachers, visiting classrooms, participating in professional learning communities, and building relationships with teachers outside the classroom. Assistant principals felt supported as instructional leaders when their campus principal supported their work as instructional leaders and had support from their peers. Although the assistant principals interviewed were dedicated to being instructional leaders, factors that hindered them from doing this critical work included responding to “fires,” managing time, and expectations from central administration and the community. As assistant principals navigated through the 2020-2021 school year, COVID-19 affected their roles as instructional leaders, often requiring campus leaders to focus on safety protocols over instruction. At the time the study concluded, the pandemic was still affecting schools, and long-term changes were unable to be identified.