Assistant Principals' Self-Reported Levels of Preparedness to Support Special Education Teachers and Programming

The purpose of this study is to identify assistant principals' self-reported levels of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming. "Special education is a federal mandate that is governed by state and local policies. For schools to provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities, school leaders must be competent in order to effectively lead these programs" (Thompson, 2017, p. 46). In Virginia, special education is the highest critical shortage category of the top ten academic disciplines identified in the annual survey and has been since the 2006 published report (Virginia Department of Education, 2020).

This quantitative study, may help to identify strengths and areas for growth for assistant principals in one school division and guide professional learning experiences for administrators moving forward. The study will include a purposeful sample of school based, Pk-12 assistant principals. Participants were invited to complete a three-part electronic survey questionnaire. The survey tool, developed by the researcher, aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children Initial and Advanced Preparedness Standards (2015). Participants provided demographic information, a Likert scale rating of their perceptions of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming, when considering eighteen job related statements, and recommendations for professional learning. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and identify findings and implications.

Results of the study indicated that assistant principals agree they are prepared to support all areas of special education teachers and programming with the exception of post-secondary transition planning for students with disabilities. Results also indicated that assistant principals with an endorsement in special education agreed at a higher rate that they are prepared to support special education teachers and programming. Assistant principals identified professional learning needs in the areas of post-secondary transition opportunities for students with disabilities, support in understanding and implementing new law and policy related to special education, and support in the area of development of new programs, supports and services for students with disabilities. Findings and related implications were discussed and recommendations for future research were identified.