Perceptions of first-year secondary school principals about their induction needs and the assistance provided

Research about the induction needs of first-year secondary school principals is virtually nonexistent. The purpose of this study was to identify the induction needs of first-year secondary school principals and to determine what assistance they received from their school districts. To accomplish this purpose, every first-year secondary school principal in Nebraska was surveyed. The survey contained 41 proficiencies in 10 general areas directly associated with successful school principals--Leadership, Communication, Group Processes, Curriculum, Instruction, Performance, Evaluation, Organizational Management, Fiscal Management, and Political Management. First-year secondary school principals in Nebraska were asked to respond two primary issues in the survey: (1) how well prepared they felt they were in the proficiencies and (2) how much assistance they received in each of these proficiencies from their school district. Based on the responses to these two questions and based upon a comparison of where these respondents indicated an identified need for assistance and the amount of assistance they received from their school district, the researcher identified three general areas of need. The three general areas of need identified in this study were: Curriculum, Fiscal Management, and Political Management. In addition, these respondents also indicated a lack of assistance from their school district in these same three proficiencies. Based on the data from the survey, the researcher summarized the results, made conclusions, and formulated recommendations for future research