Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify, investigate, and describe the espoused Pennsylvania Principal Mentoring Network (PPMN) training program and protocols for the principals who served as mentors for newly hired principals in Pennsylvania. This study posed three research questions: (1) what was the espoused training provided to mentor principals in Pennsylvania both prior to and during their mentoring experiences that prepared them to mentor newly hired principals?; (2) what were the program coordinators’ perspectives on the espoused training delivered by the PPMN for the respective mentors and to what degree was the training program the same or different through the term of each coordinator?; and (3) how does this espoused training compare and subsequently align to the competencies required of mentor principals highlighted in the research literature?
Through reviewing documents and conducting interviews, the author found that each principal mentor had participated in some form of mentor training. Each mentor principal had the opportunity to experience and access standard mentor training orientations, published newsletters and regional meetings, and the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) five-day Instructional Leadership Institute’s condensed professional development series. The PPMN State Coordinators indicated that the PPMN attracted qualified mentor principals who modeled a results driven, research-based mentor training program. Throughout the existence of the PPMN, subtle changes to the mentor training program were identified but the focus, goals, and outcomes of the training remained intact.
The PPMN mentor training process had aligned fairly consistently to the research literature base and framework for this research study. Although minimal references to adult learning theory were found in this study, it is recommended that future mentor training programs strongly consider the efficacy of including this area within the scope and sequence of the training program. In addition, due to the unavailability of certain documents and no central repository for information, future research inquiries should be geared toward existing programs that are strongly organized and currently functioning
