The Wiley International Handbook of Mentoring

7Relational Mentoring for Developing Novice Principals as Leaders of Learning

Sonya Hayes

The University of Tennessee, USA

Introduction

Although serving as a school principal is a rewarding career, the principalship is a multifaceted, daunting, and often stressful position. A number of researchers (e.g., Branch, Hanushek, & Rivkin, 2013; Leithwood, Seashore‐Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe, 2008; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2003) have established the importance of the principal's role in improving schools and increasing student achievement. The principal's role has evolved from simply being a school manager to providing leadership that “moves past the practices that were successful in an industrial model of education and to address the ambiguity and complexity of working in a rapidly changing, diverse society” (Scott & Webber, 2008, p.10). In essence, it has evolved to include more complex and demanding responsibilities including leadership for learning that focuses on improving student learning and academic performance and supervising and supporting teachers in effective teaching and learning practices (Lynch, 2012). Moreover, state and federal policies are increasingly holding principals accountable for student growth, closing performance gaps, decreasing drop‐out rates, and increasing college and career readiness for all students (Davis & Darling‐Hammond, 2012). Consequently, the pressure on school principals to increase student outcomes has increased, ...