Leader Developers: Perspectives of Mentor Principals in an Administrator Preparation Program

Principal preparation programs use various components to develop candidates, including course work, core assessments, and field-based internships or practicums. The internship represents an exceptionally high leverage learning opportunity (Lochmiller, 2014). success of the depends highly on abilities a mentor via informal instructional supervision. Mette (2020) explains that supervision has potential transformational quality. This study explores mentorships in university principal program through mentor’s perspective. We interviewed sample mentors nominated as effective by peer informants. learned were deliberate developing three specific skills -- metacognitive ability, developmental efficacy, learning-oriented goal setting. Mentor principals described these elements paramount master before becoming principal. discuss implications for supervisors school principals.