Effective Onboarding for Assistant Principals

Assistant principals (APs) step into one of the most challenging roles in education—navigating behavior support, instructional leadership, crisis management, and schoolwide systems—often without a clear road map. They can become overwhelmed by the invisible expectations of the job, which leads to operational and instructional missteps, disengagement, or early burnout.

Intentional onboarding of APs is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Done well, it is a schoolwide investment in leadership stability, staff morale, and student outcomes. Below is a real-world framework that school leaders can implement immediately. Creating an onboarding plan right from the start with clearly defined roles is critical for clarity and success.

What is the AP role?

The ambiguity of the assistant principal role, and the need to juggle so many aspects of school life, are two of the top reasons these new leaders can struggle in their first year. Role clarity and targeted development are foundational for cultivating effective school leaders.

Principals need to communicate expectations clearly and concretely from day one, using that first week together to share core values and discuss the vision for the direction of the school year, how they approach leadership, and what they hope to gain from the working principal-AP relationship. There should also be a walk-through of the building to show current practices and protocols that impact the AP’s understanding of their role.

Initially the principal needs to acknowledge that every school experience is different for every leader and create a “Leadership Role” document that clarifies responsibilities and offers timelines for summer, preservice, and the school year. This document should be fluid, open to feedback as a living tool for communication between APs and their principal. It can include the following:

• Primary responsibilities: Align with school needs and the principal’s vision for the year’s school improvement goals. For example, determine what departments, teams, or programs the AP will supervise, which staff the AP will support in terms of observations, which operational needs the AP will manage across the year (graduation, safety and security, building services), and the testing responsibilities the AP might be leading. Also clarify one area of professional focus for the AP to develop in their capacities during the year, as well as how the AP’s experience and skill set align with the work of trauma-responsive, culturally inclusive behavior intervention in the building.
• Decision-making protocols: Define what your AP owns independently versus what requires collaboration.
• Visibility and communication norms: Set expectations around presence in classrooms, lunchrooms, and hallways; responsiveness to staff; and family engagement responsibilities
• Weekly routines: Schedule standing leadership team meetings, professional learning community (PLC) oversight, and instructional walk-throughs.
  

More than a check-in

Support for an assistant principal shouldn’t be general—it needs to be structured, strategic, and relational. For a leader at this level in your building—especially a new leader—triangulated support works best.

For example, provide a mentor (e.g., another experienced AP) and have weekly one-on-one check-ins with actionable feedback and celebrations. It’s also helpful to have some type of “triad-style” check-in where the principal, assistant principal, and mentor meet to discuss challenges in real time with solution-focused thinking to create resolutions that support the principal and the school’s mission and vision.

There is the chance that the assistant principal might feel that their role, and the work attached to it, are being micromanaged, since there are a lot of moving parts to leadership, and it can seem like a lot of people are involved. By approaching the support with a fluid, growth mindset, a principal can replace the sense of micromanagement with growth-oriented questioning focusing on developing the leader, supporting the skills of reflection, and being solution-focused.

For example, ask, “What led you to that decision?” and “What alternatives did you consider?” New leaders need coaching, not correcting; foster reflection using a question like “Where did you feel stuck, and what helped you move forward?”

When observing the AP in action (e.g., leading a PLC, meeting with a student and family during an intake meeting, or managing an incident), the principal might mirror their own experiences with the AP, sharing their challenges from a place of vulnerability and giving timely, supportive feedback grounded in growth. New leaders can also face both compassion and decision fatigue quickly in their role; principals, mindful of their own weight they must carry, can help reduce cognitive load.

Cognitive load theory (CLT), developed in 1988 by psychologist John Sweller, suggests that educational leaders can reduce cognitive load in decision-making by structuring the day, chunking out schedules and downsizing communication to reduce overload. CLT reminds leaders that human brains have limits. How we design learning environments, communication, and change processes affects whether people can think, learn, and thrive. Being mindful of cognitive load helps leaders be more intentional, efficient, and humane in their work.

Break it down to avoid breakdown

Most APs enter the role with a full plate before they’ve even been shown the kitchen. Break onboarding into manageable, phase-based steps.

• Phase One, weeks one to three: Observe, build relationships, co-leading opportunities (staff meeting).
• Phase Two, weeks four to eight: Solo-lead selected duties (e.g., lunchroom, bus duty, walk-throughs).
• Phase Three, weeks nine to 12: Take ownership of a schoolwide initiative (e.g., Back to School Night, School Climate Survey/Voice Data Collection Process, PTA-PTO Initiative).

The principal-AP relationship through these phases should be anchored in psychological safety, relational trust, and authentic intentions to build the most effective leaders possible. Reflection during this work is critical on the part of these leaders—it creates balance and growth, and moves away from just being about evaluation. Principals at this point may consider questions for their AP(s) such as: “What leadership moment felt like a win?” ”What still feels overwhelming?” “How can I be helpful to you in your role at this point?” and “What would more support look like for you?”

Assistant principals are the connective tissue of a school. They manage the day-to-day while shaping the long term. By investing in their onboarding with care, structure, and high expectations, we don’t just improve individual performance—we cultivate the future of school leadership. Let’s build systems that ensure they thrive.