The Wiley International Handbook of Mentoring

12The Mentoring Mindset: Desired Practices of a Protégé in a Mentoring Relationship

Linda J. Searby

University of Florida, USA

Significant research exists about the critical role that a school principal plays in the life and health of a school community. Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) found that principal leadership accounts for about 20% of the school's impact on student achievement, second only to the impact of teachers. The last decade has brought increased accountability pressures on principals, along with demands to demonstrate instructional leadership that results in continuous improvement in student outcomes. Almost all researchers who have studied successful school improvement have pointed to “the need for strong, academically‐focused principal leadership” (Calman, 2010, p. 17). However, new principals are often unprepared for the heightened expectations of the instructional leadership position. New principals have many stressful adjustments to make when beginning their tenure, including the need to master technical skills; address demands from an array of constituents; overcome feelings of inadequacy; adapt to the fast pace of schools; and most of all, deal with the isolation that is often felt (Villani, 2006). New principals thus need support to meet the challenges of leadership in the high‐stakes environment of public education.

One of the most vital support strategies for new principals is professional mentoring provided by experienced principals ...