Volume 3, Number 1 (January - June, 2008)

New principals need support and assistance during the formative years of their careers. School districts can provide some level of support but there are organizations that offer programs to help new principals learn the knowledge, skills, and strategies they need in order to be successful on the job. One such program, The Recently Appointed Administrators Program, operates in Southwest Virginia as a cooperative venture between the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium (WVPEC) and Virginia Tech University. The program has received high ratings from past participants but program sponsors wanted more details about its strengths and limitations so they commissioned a comprehensive program evaluation. The results of this first assessment are outlined in this article along with recommendations that can be applied by coordinators of principal support programs in other locations for new principals. The article includes a brief overview of literature related to the learning and training needs of new principals. The bulk of the article is focused on the study methods, the results, and the lessons learned in the process to provide guidance for those charged with providing high quality programming for the support of new principals. ACCESS FULL MANUSCRIPT HERE: http://cnx.org/content/m15873/latest/