Transformational Mentor Principals Build Brighter Futures for University Interns
By Dr. Shirley Sealy
No one can deny the importance of the school principal; as a matter of fact, of all school-related influences contributing to student achievement, leadership is surpassed only by classroom instruction. The success of our students clearly depends on the quality of our principals. Great schools do not occur without great leadership. The work of our principals is more complex than ever due to the almost daily revisions to governing policies and regulations, shifting societal influences, and the constantly evolving compositions of the schools in which they lead. Principal responsibilities are great, but none greater than ensuring a school environment where their students are willing to take risks to learn and grow in order to reach their overall potential. These increasing demands mean our principals need broad skill sets, multi-faceted expertise, and a plethora of practices to safeguard their students’ successes.
While principals may exhibit a variety of different leadership styles, both individually and collectively, transformational leadership is the leadership style most researchers feel is appropriate for today’s schools. James MacGregor Burns first defined the term transformational leadership as a process where “leaders and their followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation” (Burns, 1978, p. 259). Burns described the transformational leader (as cited by Anderson, 2017, p. 1) as “one who works with subordinates to identify needed change, create a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and execute the change in unison with committed members of a group.” The research of Bernard Bass provided the first true insight as to how transformational leadership may function within our schools; Bass posited transformational leaders exhibit the following transformational leadership behaviors in their daily interactions with the staff or subordinates: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation (Bass, 1985, p. 14). Given that transformational leaders generally have staff members who are committed to a shared goal or vision and are more satisfied in their positions, this type of leadership has the potential to greatly impact the organizational climate of a campus (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p. 7). The obvious and clearly defined importance of transformational leadership characteristics in our school leaders brings to the forefront the necessity to groom aspiring administrators to lead this way as early as possible.
As the director of Educational Administration and Supervision at a small private South Carolina university, my primary role is to lead the university’s program that ultimately recommends its successful graduates for Tier I Principal Certification. The Palmetto State, as most other states, requires students seeking administrative certification to successfully complete an accredited graduate leadership preparation program, like the one we offer, which consists of mandatory courses coupled with successful completion of required internship experiences. Additionally, to obtain administrative certification, graduates must secure a “passing score” on the state licensure examination. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of the relationship between the students enrolled in a university administration and supervision program and the transformational principals who agree to serve as their site-based mentors during the students’ administrative internships.
Our MEd and EdS degree programs of study begin with a stringent sequence of advanced leadership courses. Because our university is small, I teach the majority of the leadership courses, which typically makes me the first university member to get to know our students well. Program courses are purposed to broaden the lens through which the aspiring administrator currently views educational topics. Courses include instruction in different leadership styles, school law, curriculum development, teacher supervision and evaluation, human resources, finance, school-community relations, and research. Besides providing a theoretical foundation, these course concentrations represent areas the graduates will likely experience once “on the job” as building-level administrators.
In addition to the mandatory program coursework and passing a state licensure exam for certification recommendation, the state of SC also requires our students to satisfactorily complete an extensive and integrated internship component as part of their program of study.
Standard #8 of the building-level National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Standards states:
Candidates successfully complete an internship under the supervision of knowledgeable, expert practitioners that engages candidates in multiple and diverse school settings and provides candidates with coherent, authentic, and sustained opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP standards 1–7 in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of building-level leaders and enable them to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in their school (National Policy Board for Educational Administration [NPBEA], 2018).
Students at our university typically enroll in their internships during the final two semesters of their administrative programs. At this time each intern partners with at least two different school-based mentors, one at the intern’s current grade band and at least one other mentor at a different grade band. The intern works alongside the principal mentors to select, design, and complete a variety of leadership tasks. Mentoring is an integral component of principal preparation programs designed to improve school and student performance (Gray et al., 2007).
It is during the internship experience that these aspiring administrators truly get to see the marriage between theory and practice. As the intern performs their administrative tasks, the mentor provides formative assessment feedback to them that is also shared with me, which guides the frequent discussions I have with the interns throughout the internship processes. I also communicate with the site mentors to assess my students’ progress, as well as to ensure the university is providing the support they need. The feedback loop allows me to ascertain how my interns are doing, and just as importantly, it allows me to identify any areas of our university program in need of improvement. For example, if a mentor expresses to me their intern is not performing well in leading professional development sessions for their faculty, I will counsel with the intern and also find ways to incorporate this into my classroom instruction. Rebecca Mills, a 2021 program graduate, shared the following feedback regarding her internship experiences:
My administrative internship was everything! It truly is the heart and essence of this program! I was able to see each of my classes in action through my mentor as a transformational leader. I learned the value in prioritizing, decision-making, ethics, and building relationships while participating in tasks that illustrated all nine PADEPP standards. My mentor helped me grow professionally and gain leadership confidence through experience! I am now a better teacher leader and feel prepared to seek an administrative position (R. Mills, personal communication, March 15, 2022).
I love my classroom teaching experiences, but one of the true joys of my career is the privilege to observe and vicariously participate in the relationships that evolve over time between my students and their assigned school-based mentors. Most of the time, the mentors serving in this district and university capacity are principals in current practice; although occasionally, the mentor may be a current, well-groomed assistant principal, with the ultimate oversight of their building principal. The acting administrators receive my students “wherever they are” in their leadership journeys and give of themselves to grow the students accordingly, while, at the same time, continuing to run their schools. I am indebted to all of our mentors, but I am especially grateful for the ones I have identified as transformational leaders, those who exemplify the mantra “leaders grow leaders.” Many of the best characteristics of educational leadership are said to come from using transformational leadership in education (airiodion.com/transformational-leadership-in-education/). While we typically associate a principal’s ability to transformationally lead their teachers and staff members, I posit their essential value is advancing the education profession by transformationally mentoring and leading their administrative interns. Below are the words of Casey Mathis, a student who recently completed her second semester internship:
Working with a transformational leader truly is that, transformational. I shadowed some principals, who allowed me to shadow their work while watching from a distance as they handled mounting demands. While observing their work did have its benefits in opening my eyes to the behind-the-scenes world of an administrator, I cannot say that I walked away with anything tangible. Sure, improved awareness and exposure are beneficial, but observations are not as impactful as working with a transformational leader who invests in your learning and growing. When I worked alongside transformational leaders, I was put into the game so to speak. They allowed me to talk/work/walk through the issues, applying what I had learned at Converse, under the guidance of the mentor principal. Being asked, “How would you handle it?” was much more impactful than, “This is how I handle it. I’ll let you watch.” Being allowed to literally sit behind the desk, in the principal’s chair, to say, handle a discipline referral conference with a student made much more of an impression on my mind and heart than merely observing how a principal handled it themselves. Again, while there is a time and place for observation (and I am grateful for all that I observed), I gained significant confidence in my abilities (not just confidence in my principal’s abilities) when I was allowed to put what I have learned into practice. Those experiences were fun, engaging, and invigorating and were the very few instances where I left the principal’s realm thinking, “Yeah, I could do this.” In fact, in instances where I was only allowed to observe, I often left thinking, “Could I ever do that?” Transformational leaders pass the torch and grow their people (C. Mathis, personal communication, March 15, 2022).
In its ideal form, transformational leadership creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders (Transformational leadership, n.d.) Frankly, the relative strength of our university’s administrative leadership program depends on it!
Even though I am not present with the interns when they are working alongside and learning from their mentors, I learn about these professional relationships through several means. Of course, I observe concrete evidence of the internship experiences through the interns’ assignment submissions, but the most telling evidence I glean is through thoughtful and reflective conversations with the interns and/or their mentors. A transformational leader is one who encourages others to find ways to grow and change. When asked about the relative value of transformational leaders in the mentor/intern relationship, and his experiences as a recent site supervisor, Taylor Deal, principal of Beech Springs Intermediate School, replied:
Transformational leadership is the catalyst for not only facilitating a successful school environment but maintaining one. Leaders who use transformational change are consistently intentional about practices and programs that align with the vision created while simultaneously reflecting and reevaluating the same programs with humility. It would be to the benefit of any candidate taking part in a mentoring program to become involved in such a transformational program. Through mentorship, I experienced a great opportunity to reflect on my true beliefs and evaluate how my school’s direction reflects those beliefs. The reciprocity engaged both myself, and my mentee, in valuable conversations that ultimately informed the trajectory of our leadership. What a blessing it was to have an opportunity to shepherd a future leader and to provide an exclusive view into impactful leadership (T. Deal, personal communication, March 3, 2022).
Interestingly enough, now read what this transformational principal’s intern, 2021 graduate Joy Keith, had to say when she was invited to share thoughts about working alongside him, as her mentor:
Working with a transformational mentor principal helped shape me both as a student and a leader. I watched my principal build lasting relationships and transform the lives of everyone at his school because he creates a system of trust and strong leadership. He asked me questions that challenged me, and he put me in positions where I was able to learn and become a strong leader. I believe that my time spent with him during my internship strengthened my personal leadership style because I wanted to emulate the successes I watched him have on a daily basis (J. Keith, personal communication, March 15, 2022).
Perhaps I am just lucky, but in my opinion, based on 35 years of public-education experience, our program interns have had the honor of learning from some of the most transformational leaders currently serving in our SC schools. There is no disputing the past few years have been extremely challenging and frustrating for all educators; however, I stand on the hope and promise of our administrators who remain steadfast and committed to their own sense of self, as well as to their intrinsic desire to give back to our profession. On behalf of a university program dependent on our principals’ moral devotion to inspiring others to lead, I shout, “Thank you for your great work — you are definitely building brighter futures!
References
Anderson, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in education: A review of existing literature. International Social Science Review, 93 (1), 1. http://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/issr/vol93/iss1/4
Bass, B. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations, Free Press, 14.
Bass, B., & Riggio, R. (2006). Transformational leadership. Taylor and Francis, 7.
Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. Harper & Row, 259.
Gray, C., Fry, B., Bottoms, G., and O’Neill, K. (2007). Good principals aren’t born — they’re mentored. Southern Regional Education Board [SREB], 07 (05), 5–6.
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2018). National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Standards — Building Level. http://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NELP-Building-Standards.pdf
