In the national endeavor to reform education, there is no question of the importance of preparing quality principals. A preparatory internship provides opportunity to learn and practice school-based leadership. This research provided evidence leading to a better understanding of how engagement during an internship relates to the readiness for school leadership. In addition, evidence was gathered on how the conditions of the internship affect the level of engagement.

The population in this study was all participants in the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Assessment Centers between 2001 and 2006. Assessment center scores in 10 areas of performance were used as a measure of the readiness for school leadership for of the participants. Summated Likert scales were used to measure engagement and two of the four conditions of a quality internship: quality of the field supervision and relevance of the internship to the job of principal. Summated scales were used to measure the remaining two conditions of a quality internship: previous work-related experience and institutional support for the internship.

A path model of the relationships among the variables was hypothesized. The direct effects of the variables believed to explain a quality internship were calculated with a series of multiple regressions for each path to the engagement variable. The direct effect of engagement on readiness for school leadership was calculated with a multiple regression. Indirect effects were calculated for the paths between the conditions of a quality internship, engagement, and readiness for school leadership. None of the hypothesized indirect path effects were large enough to be considered important. The relevance of the internship had a strong effect on engagement. The quality of the field supervision had a moderate effect on engagement. No other direct effects were found between the conditions of the internship and engagement in the internship.