Isolated or Integrated? Tracing the Principal Mentor–Intern Relationship across an Academic Year

Abstract

High-quality principal internships are defined, in part, by support from high-quality principal mentors. We traced the development and quality of principal mentor–intern relationships during an academic school year and found that mentors played a significant role in determining the extent to which interns were isolated or integrated into the school leadership team. Specifically, mentors influenced (1) the types of tasks and activities interns were allowed to engage in, (2) the level of autonomy interns were afforded, and (3) the support interns received. Importantly, interns’ own proactivity shaped each of these aspects of their internship experience.