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Episode 26: Becoming the Boss Featuring: Chamille Schuck, High School Assistant Principal Mentor Bio:

At 27, Chamille is an Assistant Principal for a charter high school that serves inner city students in the South Los Angeles area. She has a BA in English Education and Theater, a Secondary Teaching Credential, a MA in School Leadership, and her Administrative Services Credential. Chamille is young and fierce female leader at her school site, and in the Charter Organization as a whole! She takes great pride in the work she does coaching teachers to be more effective and culturally relevant in the classroom, and developing school practices to better meet the needs of 21st century learners.

Industry Overview: What do High School Assistant Principals do?

An assistant principal, also known as a vice principal, is an entry-level position in educational administration that helps the principal in the overall running of the school. The job is fast-paced and requires multitasking to hold a leadership position in interactions with students, teachers and parents. It may be stressful at times as well, as you will need to ensure the safety of the students and make sure that your school meets federal and state student/teacher performance guidelines. Some assistant principals view the role as a stepping-stone to becoming principal, while others are content to stay in the role for their career. If you’re a teacher who aspires to be an assistant principal, you’re in good company. A survey by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) found principals averaged 14 years as a teacher before moving into an administrative role.

What does their work environment look like?

In some school districts, assistant principals handle a specific subject area, such as literacy or math. Assistants may be assigned to handle student safety, provide student academic counseling, or enforce disciplinary or attendance rules. They may also coordinate buses or supervise building and grounds maintenance. Assistant principals at middle schools and high schools spend more time with disciplinary actions and less with instructional leadership. This is due to student's raging hormones and increased freedoms. High school APs have an extra level of responsibility with monitoring truancy as some students have cars and can leave campus. As a result, high school and middle school APs interact more with students and spend less time with teachers or in meetings.

How do you become a High School Assistant Principal?

Principals and vice principals typically need a master’s degree, preferably in educational leadership, education administration or related field, in order to qualify for the role. Many states require master’s degrees for certification. According to the BLS, about 45 percent of principals have master’s degrees and 13 percent have a doctorate. Most states require public school principals to be licensed as school administrators. The requirements for licensure differ between states. In addition, some states require principals to pass a test and take continuing education classes to maintain their license. Most states require a background check as part of the certification process. You do not have to have a school administrator license to be an assistant principal in a private school, but it can’t hurt.

What additional skills that they typically don’t teach in school do you need?

• Effective communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Good judgment
• Administrative and organizational skills
• An ability to uphold rules and regulations while tolerating ambiguity

What is the pay?

Salaries for assistant principals vary based on geographic region and school district size. The National Association of Secondary School Principals conducted a survey in 2010 and found the average salaries ranged from $64,398 to $94,673 for middle school assistant principals and from $68,274 to $98,079 for high school assistant principals. Salaries on both coasts run higher than the middle of the country and in school districts with more than 25,000 students. The lowest salaries are found in the Southwest, and in school districts with less than 2,500 students.

Future demand in marketplace?

Employment for educational administrators is expected to grow at a rate of 6 percent from 2012 to 2022, according to the BLS. This is slower than average from other professions.

The number of job openings is based on school enrollment, and while enrollments are expected to rise, state and local budgets are also a factor. It’s expected there will be more job openings in the West and South, and fewer openings in the Northeast.

Overall... Pros and cons of being an assistant principal:

Pros:

• Every day is different.
• The role is usually a precursor to becoming school principal.<...