Mentoring Principals Around Leadership Practices

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research was to examine mentoring as a tool for professional development of public school administrators.

METHODOLOGY
The sample population was comprised of 180 principals randomly selected from public schools in large unit districts in Illinois. The overall response rate was 59 percent (N=106). Participants completed the Leadership Practices Inventory and provided information about their mentoring experiences. Eighty percent indicated that they had been mentored.

KEY FINDINGS
The aggregate mean scores for each leadership practice revealed that the mentored group engaged in each leadership practice more frequently than did the non-mentored principals. The leadership practices of Inspire and Encourage had the greatest differences in frequency between the two groups. No differences were reported in the experience of being mentored by women and men, and subsequently no significant differences were found in how frequently the five leadership practices were utilized on the basis of gender.