Assistant Principal Jobs

The assistant principal helps the principal accomplish all of the administrative tasks required by the school. Each team of principals and assistant principals will work together to create job responsibilities that best fit their individual situations.

Some assistant principals are waiting to advance to the position of principal while others are content in their role. The role of assistant principal is sometimes part-time. The remainder of the school day the assistant principal is engaged in another administrative role like athletic director or curriculum developer.

Most states required qualified assistant principals to be certified or licensed according to specific standards. A master’s degree or doctorate in education leadership or education administration is typically required. In addition, assistant principals should have completed a successful internship and passed a nationally accepted administration exam. Most assistant principals also have a bachelor’s degree in education or a related field and previous teaching experience.

An assistant principal’s salary ranges depending upon the level of school she is placed at. Assistant principals earn and average of US$67,353, with a pay range of US$48,378 – $96,032 according to PayScale.com (2015).

Major responsibilities often handled by the assistant principal are scheduling students, ordering approved supplies like textbooks and teacher resources, and handling discipline and attendance issues. In a high school level job, the assistant principal is sometimes known as the dean of students given the time spent on discipline issues.

Support services within the school like custodial, cafeteria, and transportation are often initially handled through the assistant principal. Safety issues may also be the assistant’s responsibility.

Along with the principal, the academic role of vice principals has increased. They are often involved in evaluating teacher performance through observations. Professional development opportunities and sessions may be planned by the assistant. Along with the principal, the assistant is pressured to increase the state and federal mandated goals for school improvement.

Strong communication skills are needed. Assistant principals must have solid relationships with their principals and teaching staff. Since the assistant principal handles many of the discipline issues, parent communication is often a daily part of the job.

Assistant principals face the same stressful situations as principals do. Increased job demands and dealing with disrespectful students are leading causes of stress. However, for most assistant principals the daily stresses are countered by the visible, positive effect the assistant principal can make in the school environment.