1. Tell me as an Assistant Principal, what do you believe is your best asset?
A product of this community, went through this system know the people of this community and they know me a good line of communication already established.
2. Explain me what three words would your students use to describe you?
My students would describe me as knowledgable, helpful, and patient. I enjoy a positive relationship with all of my students, even those that have challenging behaviors.
3. Explain what are your weaknesses as Assistant Principal?
Weakness is a human trait. No one is perfect and can never be. Still, there is always a room for improvement when you are able to recognize the areas where you lag behind. Openly discuss about what you consider as your weaknesses and do not forget to elaborate on the measures you are taking to eliminate your weakness.
4. Explain me what would be your top priorities in this position?
The school want to know that you have an action plan in place. Understand the needs, demands, culture and values of this particular school or district. Show you are willing to confront and remediate inadequacies in the school, to modify school structures where necessary and to identify and capitalize on current strengths.
5. Explain me what makes you think you are an ideal candidate for this job?
Answer this question by expressing not just your interest, but your qualifications for this position. Emphasize on the job duties in your previous jobs and the knowledge you have gathered throughout the course of your career. Be confident and ready to answer further questions that might arise when the employer discusses the job requirements.
6. Tell us do you consider yourself a leader?
I think that right now I have many great attributes to be a great assistant principal and currently would not change anything. However, after given the opportunity to work as an assistant principal, I would definitely reevaluate myself to see what are some key things that I could improve on.
7. Tell me outline the role that parents should play in the school?
Discuss your vision of positive parental contribution and how you have facilitated and promoted this through the implementation of school initiatives.
8. Tell me what improvements in the classroom have you made with teachers in the past?
I've shared behavior strategies, classroom formation of desk, different stations that can be used for more than one task, bell ringers, and classroom motivation techniques.
9. Explain me how do you get a peer or colleague to accept one of your ideas?
Explain to the colleague or peer the concept behind the idea and how it could possibly be linked to the best interest of the student or staff. Make them aware that all components were carefully considered before giving your idea.
10. Tell me do You Multitask Well?
You will have many duties as an assistant principal, so being able to perform many tasks all at once is imperative. In some cases, your interviewer will provide you with a hypothetical scenario in which the principal is out of the office and you are in the cafeteria supervising lunch break. During this time, you receive not only a report about a fight in a classroom, but you are also notified of an angry parent in your office demanding a meeting. Here, your interviewer is asking you to prioritize these tasks efficiently. Your answer should be short but precise. “I would ask another teacher to supervise the cafeteria long enough to bring the fighting students into my office and schedule a meeting with the parent.”
11. Tell us how do you motivate and encourage staff?
Highlight the steps you take to create a climate in which people want to perform to the best of their ability. How do you assess an individual's strengths and develop them? Highlight the mechanisms you put in place to support staff through collaboration and inclusion.
12. Explain have You Ever Handled an Upset or Irate Parent?
The parents of schoolchildren are often very involved with their children's education, and as such, you will sometimes need to participate in meetings or conferences with parents. Sometimes, and especially when students have been suspended or otherwise disciplined, parents can become very upset. Your interviewer will ask you if you have ever dealt with such a situation, and you should answer honestly. If so, describe the situation and how you handled it. If not, you should provide another example of a situation in which your communication skills were able to dissolve the angry party's frustrations.
13. Explain me how do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?
I constantly strive to do more and take on every learning opportunity that is afforded to me. Due to this, I have learned throughout my career that maintaining organization, routines, and beings sure deadlines are both set and met is essential. I set priorities based on when the task needs to be done, the intensity of the task or situation, and who is effected.
14. Tell me a story about yourself?
Whatever story you decide to tell in this situation, make sure that it has some relevance to the world of your professional endeavors. The tale you tell should demonstrate, or refer to, one or more of your key behavioral profiles in action – perhaps honesty, integrity, being a team player, or determination. If you choose “team player” (maybe you're the star player on your intermural basketball team), you can tell a story about yourself outside of work that also speaks volumes about you at work.
In part, your answer should make the connection between the two, such as, “I put my heart into everything I do, whether it be sports or work. I find that getting along with teammates, or professional peers makes life more enjoyable and productive.”
The best way to answer this question is to tell a story that reveals something about your character and experience. A great story to tell in this situation is how you got started in education. What made you want to be a teacher? What made you want to transition into administration? You can use an unusual educational situation in which you have been involved and describe it briefly.
15. Tell me how well do you work with people?
I work well with people. Last year, as a math coach, I worked with a curriculum team of reading and math coaches. Almost monthly, we had to collaborate together to create and present professional development workshops to our teachers. Not only did I provide ideas and input, but I listened to the input of others, and sometimes I altered my ideas to improve the outcome. As a result, we had effective PD workshops.
16. Explain the best teacher, parent, and student you know?
One or more teachers have positively influenced most of us in our educational career. We get into education because some teacher made a profound difference in our lives. Let the interviewer know about the best teacher you know, what makes them great and how they have influenced your education beliefs. This is the time to be passionate, sincere, and complimentary. Make sure the interviewer knows precisely how you've been influenced and precisely how you will affect others.
The same method will work when describing the best parent you know. What characteristics does this parent have? What makes them so great? He/she is probably very involved in their child's life, incredibly supportive and encouraging, and provides a very structured environment. This parent will no doubt also be actively involved in their child's academic lives, be participating in school activities, volunteering in the classroom, and staying up-to-date with school work and their child's progress.
Finally, you will need to describe the best student you know. This student will probably represent the very reasons why you wanted to enter education in the first place. He/she is likely to be enthusiastic and eager to learn, is cooperative and helpful with other learners, is social and friendly, respects the rules and the learning environment, and puts forth a strong effort in their education.
17. Tell me are you interested in sports and outdoor activities such as camping?
Discuss about your interest in outdoor sports and other activities that are aimed to keep an individual physically as well as mentally rejuvenated. On the other hand, if you are not much into outdoor activities, then feel free to discuss your interest in indoor and virtual sports.
18. Tell me what interests do you pursue outside of the classroom?
This question offers a prime opportunity to differentiate yourself by presenting a vivid description of your life outside of work. Schools are interested in balanced, likable applicants. Your professional life is only part of an interrelated whole. Schools expect you to demonstrate the same level of dedication and passion in outside activities as you do in administration. They are also well aware that many of the best work-related ideas occur when people are not at work, so what you do out of the school has a measurable impact on what you can do on the job. Besides, funny, offbeat, interesting people make work and school more exciting and often are better at out-of-the-box thinking. Communicate feelings of passion, commitment, and devotion. Wherever possible, demonstrate the leadership abilities you have developed in these activities.
To answer this question, make a brief statement about your interests and hobbies. If you have a family, mention that you enjoy spending time with them. Do not mention parties, drinking, or other pastimes that will give a poor impression of you. Reading and sporting activities are also good to mention.
19. Explain me what do you envision for our school, if you were an assistant principal here?
My vision is a 100% graduation rate with at least a 70% grade move within our district. My vision include our school be the school every parent would want their child to attend, knowing that we have college bound programs, programs for our SPED students to attend vocational or trade schools to receive a certification in their chosen field.
20. Tell me have You Ever Dealt With an Angry or Upset Parent?
Interacting with parents is another important part of an assistant principal's day. Most parents are eager to be involved in their child's education and are heavily invested in their success. You might participate in formal and informal meetings and conferences with parents whose children are not meeting academic or behavioral standards. Parents can become very angry or upset in these meetings, particularly if they feel their child is being treated unfairly. You will need to be adept at handling an emotionally charged situation. If you have ever dealt with this type of situation, give your interviewer some context for what was happening and why the parent was upset. Explain how you handled it, how the parent responded, and what you learned from the situation that you can apply to future conflicts. If you have never deal with an angry parent, provide an example of another time when you were able to diffuse a tense situation.
The stakeholders are first and foremost the parent or guardians. I believe that they are key in their child's education. As educators we must reinforce that we are on the same team working towards the growth of children and helping them reach their full potential. Another stakeholder is the administrators working to facilitate these relationships either academically or behaviorally. Including community members is another way to increase stakeholder participation through the use of SEM clusters. Each member of the stakeholder team is important but when they are all working together for the same purpose, student achievement and empowerment for life long learning, then it becomes a well oiled machine.
22. Tell me why do you want to leave your current position?
Interviewers want to find out why you are moving on from your past position. If you were fired or let go from your previous school, you shouldn't lie about this. A background check will easily find you out, so you need, to tell the truth from the start. If you were fired as the result of a school closing, downsizing, or layoffs, explain this and tell them that you were not fired for your mistakes or poor performance. If you were fired due to a more serious issue like breaking a school policy, not meeting your teaching goals, or due to not getting along with your principal, tell the interviewers why you were asked to leave but try to paint it in as positive a light as possible. Don't elaborate.
If you left of your own accord, be direct in your answer and focus your answer on the future, especially if your leaving wasn't under the best circumstances. Regardless of why you left, don't speak badly about your previous employer. If you do, this may cause the interviewer may wonder if you will bad-mouth his district/school next time you're looking for work. Although it's
23. Tell me have You Ever Evaluated a Teacher Who was Not Performing to Expectation?
Aside from disciplining students, you will also likely be called upon to evaluate the performance of individual teachers on a regular basis. You may also be asked to evaluate a teacher whose students' test scores are not on par with national averages; you may even be required to evaluate a teacher about whom you have received multiple complaints from students, parents or even other staff. As such, the interviewer will need to determine your capabilities. Here, you should use another scenario if you are experienced with such evaluations. If you are not, explaining that you would take the time to listen to both sides and then create an effective remedial plan should suffice.
Give your insight about handling such situations where taking a stance is tough, yet inevitable to avoid further complications.
25. Tell me how do you set about building good relationships with staff and parents?
The ability to build constructive and effective relationship is key to success in this role. How do you establish trust and confidence? Sharing relevant information, setting a clear direction, objectives and measures and providing and encouraging constructive feedback all contribute to successful relationships.
The interviewer here wants to know your take on the education system. You should be able to point out some issues that you feel are acting as a setback against the learning objectives. Suggest some measures and changes that you believe will bring a change in the way education is perceived and imparted.
27. Assistant Principal Operational and Situational Job Interview Questions:
☛ Tell us about your professional experience in the field of education.
☛ In as much detail as possible, describe your vision of a highly effective (elementary/middle/high) school.
☛ What are your personal benchmarks for success in this role?
☛ How would you rate yourself as a leader? Describe your leadership style.
☛ How would you rate yourself as a disciplinarian?
☛ How does this role differ from the role of the Principal?
☛ Describe a time you disagreed with the Principal's decision-making.
☛ Discuss the relationship between teacher evaluations and student achievement.
☛ How do you involve other staff in organizational decision-making?
☛ Describe a time you suggested a way to cut costs in order to maintain a service or activity.
☛ In what ways have you helped teachers improve their methods of instruction?
☛ What classroom management strategies do you recommend?
☛ What guidance would you give to teachers during their first year on the job?
☛ How would you give negative feedback to a veteran teacher?
☛ Describe a time that a student complaint resulted in reprimanding a teacher.
☛ How do you know when a parent organization is effective?
☛ Describe a time you involved a parent in disciplining a student.
☛ How would you organize and promote a new student activity?
☛ How would students at your school describe you?
I find it most difficult to get along with people who get angry over a situation and then refuse to accept reasonable solutions to a problem. I would refer to them as unreasonable people.
For example, sometimes parents get angry when a child is held responsible for misbehavior. Nothing will make them happy except for their child to be “let off the hook.” I handle this by remaining calm and polite and pointing out that the school has specific rules and consequences that the student is aware of and that I cannot show favoritism to one student over another. I sometimes commiserate with the parents stating that he or she is justifiably angry, but that they are not mad at me, but with their child for misbehaving and getting into trouble.
Bell to Bell Instruction for our teachers, small business operations class and a school based enterprise.
30. Explain me how Would You Evaluate and Respond to a Teacher Who Does Not Meet Expectations?
One of your duties may be to conduct evaluations of teacher performance. If a classroom scores lower than anticipated on a standardizes test or if the school has received numerous complaints about a particular teacher from parents, students or staff you may be required to investigate the situation and confront the individual. The interviewer will want to understand your method for evaluating a teacher's instructional effectiveness as well as their behavior towards students, parents and coworkers, including how you would gather all relevant information. The hiring manager will also want to know that you are capable of confronting a coworker while maintaining a good working relationship. You should be able to detail how you would work with the teacher to design a plan for improvement and a means of evaluating the effectiveness of that plan. As with all questions, include real examples from your own experience whenever possible.
Changing the requirements needed by students to be completers in CTE Programs, By eliminating a class, would our students have the skills needed to complete higher level courses. So far the data is showing more completers in our CTE programs.
32. Tell me what would you change about yourself to make you a better assistant principal?
Give me more experience in the leadership capacity. Trying to find the first job is hard. I hope to prove myself and that is hard without experience.
I would like to use hands on performance technique where the students conduct all of the research, make the plans, disseminate the lesson to their peers and explain what they are looking for and present a finished model for a visual effect. The teacher will just be the facilitator.
The school principal serves as the educational leader, responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure all students are supervised in a safe learning environment that meets the approved curriculum and mission of the school.
As the educational leader of the school, it's my job to demonstrate and embody the ideals of a learning institution and uphold the highest integrity and leadership skills. People in the school community are always turning to the principal for answers as well as for a model for behavior, leadership, and academics. I am excited at the prospect of taking on this role and feel that my excellent communication skills, dedication, work ethic, and education leadership skills will help me to excel in this environment.
I've had considerable experience managing and developing students in their academic careers, but I've been more limited in managing and developing adults.
I believe this job of serving as an Assistant Principal will allow me to work under a master people manager with your school administrator, and further develop my employee management skills necessary to lead the school team to success.
