AWSP
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Principal Induction 

The AWSP Principal Mentor Program has been in place since 2016. Through the partnership with OSPI’s Educator Effectiveness Division, a workgroup was assembled in the fall of 2018 to look at the importance of principal induction. The commitment around school leader induction is something that starts with a district’s collective sense of responsibility, whereby district level leadership feels ownership for the success of the new/newly assigned principal and collaborates to support them.

If you are familiar with OSPI’s BEST Teacher Induction Program, the Principal Induction Standards will look familiar. The work group assembled, and the induction standards were tailored specifically for school leaders. We know the key role induction can play on the effectiveness of classroom teachers; it should be no surprise that school leaders benefit in similar ways to these structures of support!


High-Quality Induction

High-quality principal induction is the integration of the six essential induction components into your district’s current efforts:

  • Hiring
  • Orientation
  • Mentoring
  • Professional Learning
  • Feedback & Formative Assessment for Growth
  • Induction Program Assessment
Unlike onboarding, where a school leader is hired and someone within the system helps them get up to speed or mentoring, where a trusted, trained mentor is assigned to support the principal within the first few years…INDUCTION is everything. 

Principal induction, coupled with principal mentoring, are opportunities to put supports in place for your new hire. The research is clear, if we do not put supports in place, we will be less likely to keep leaders in their roles beyond just a few years. Induction is the key to insuring we GROW good leaders, from diverse backgrounds with strong local context!