1. Tell me how important is a student centered classroom for you?
Very important, the classroom is for the students everywhere a student looks in my classroom they will be able to find something that will help them with their class lesson, home learning, and sometimes other classes.
2. Tell me how would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is a mix between authoritative and democratic. I believe that my leadership style needs to be established, clear and consistent but also has to have a balance of trust within my staff.
3. Please explain what do you like about your present job as Assistant Principal?
I am able to influence students academically, behaviorally, and sometimes even personally.
4. Tell me what do you know already about our school, and our school district?
A rural school district located near 3 cities. Earned an Excellent and Excellent with Distinction in the past on the Ohio Grade Card. Participate in Muffins with Mom and Doughnuts with Dad. All buildings are located on the same campus.
5. It's imperative you to adequately prepare. Don't you agree?
A school principal interview is a different ball game compared to interviews for other school positions. Besides showing that you have an exceptional teaching record, you also have to prove that you would be an effective school leader and have the capacity to control and manage every situation that may arise under your supervision.
During the interview, there may be inquiries you've seen before in past interviews; however, there will be many others you will find more challenging and will require extra preparation to ensure your answers hit the mark.
6. Tell us how do you involve students in the decision-making process?
As a high school principal, I would include the students in the decision-making process by holding school elections, working with the student council, allowing students to vote on various issues. Other methods of involving students would be promoting a student-written school newspaper that addresses school decisions, and by encouraging students to attend PTA meetings and school governing board meetings.
7. Tell me what is your most significant achievement in education?
Choose your most important achievement in education and briefly, describe what you did, what skills you used, and how you did it. Consider mentioning: implementing curricular changes, establishing a school-wide discipline program, creating a tutoring program, earning a Ph.D., helping raise test scores, implementing an anti-gang or anti-drug program, creating a program for second language learners, writing a book, or creating a program for music or the arts.
Dedicate time to prepare for any potential school administrator job interview questions in advance.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Don't get caught off-guard.
If you are having a difficult time narrowing down your achievements to just one, try to pick one that you are most proud of or one that deals with an issue that is important to the school you are applying for. For instance, if the school you are interviewing with is struggling with bullying, it would be great to mention your experience with introducing successful anti-bullying campaigns.
8. Tell me how would you schedule classes?
Before answering this question, you should clarify the grade for which you are being asked to schedule the classes, and accordingly answer the best schedule that will help the students to attend all the classes attentively.
9. Tell me why do you want to be principal of this school?
Your research and preparation is critical to answering this.
Clearly detail why you are interested and give specific facts and details. Consider aspects such as the student body, the staff, the curriculum, the school reputation, educational objectives, initiatives, extracurricular activities. Effective research will help make your answers both current and relevant.
10. Tell me what professional goals have you set yourself for the next 5 years?
Focus on broad goals that contribute to the overall improvement of the school. Consider student results and achievement, staff performance and development, instructional quality, the school culture and reputation, community involvement.
11. Tell me what salary do you expect as Assistant Principal?
State clearly about your salary expectations and justify why you want this salary.
12. Explain me how many classes/lectures can you handle apart from administrative tasks?
Feel comfortable to speak about the number of classes/lectures you can handle, because sometimes you might have to handle more classes than usual apart from the administrative tasks assigned on a routine basis.
13. Explain how Do You Handle Student Discipline?
As an assistant principal, your first and foremost task will be to assist the principal in his or her duties. From time to time, this means that you will be called upon to discipline an unruly student. You may be asked to determine whether the student should get detention, in-school or home suspension, or even expulsion in extreme cases. To answer this question, you should reply with a past scenario if you can. Explain the offense and the steps you took to discipline the child. If you do not have experience with student discipline, create an imaginary scenario and explain how you would handle it.
14. Explain me what is your philosophy of education?
This is a question you must think about carefully before interviewing. It is a good idea to write out your philosophy of administration and leadership. You can bring the document with you to the interview to refer to. You should include:
☛ A brief statement of why you became an educator.
☛ Mentors you have had and what they taught you.
☛ A statement about the purpose and importance of a good education in a student's life.
☛ The nature of the learning environment in a school, for example, challenging, enjoyable, safe, open, and supportive.
☛ Your preferred administrative (leadership) style.
☛ Ways in which you communicate with staff members, parents, and students.
☛ Your beliefs on discipline.
☛ How you will provide an excellent role model for students.
☛ Ways in which you would like to improve education.
☛ How your school will meet students' individual needs.
☛ The values you want students to learn including responsibility, good citizenship, hard work, caring, conflict resolution, excellent people skills, and honesty.
☛ How you want to be remembered by students, parents, teachers, and others.
☛ Your ultimate goal as an educational leader.
15. Tell me what are your professional goals for the next 5-10 years?
Be prepared to outline, briefly, your goals for the next five to ten years. Include your educational goals that will develop your skills, as well as your job goals. Don't seem too anxious to move into other jobs. State that you intend to stay in the job for which you are being hired for at least five years. (Quick principal turnover is not considered to be good for schools.)
Never mention your plans to move to another area or take time off to have a child. This is also a great time to list some of your professional goals for the school you are applying for. State that you'd like to have the school renowned for its testing scores, its graduation rates improved, its technology increased, or its student retention increased. Showing that you have specific goals for the school will put you in the forefront as a serious administrative candidate.
16. Tell me what do you consider a school principal's biggest pressure?
I think the most significant pressure that a school administrator facing these days is figuring out how to do more with less. Decreased and a lack of funding is a critical issue facing most principals. Funding is decreasing at the state, federal, and local levels. Schools need to be innovated and do more with less. The lack of funding translates into having less certified staff, non-certified staff, and less educational resources.
Schools are still expected to perform at the same level, if not higher, than before. School administrators are under pressure to stretch their budgets, come up with creative ways to obtain and improve resources and keep their limited staff from burnout.
17. Tell me what makes you passionate about being an Assistant Principal?
It is exciting to think that teachers and students know that I can count on me to guide or help them be better. I also like the fact that I can count on the building to help me improve at what ever I need help with.
18. Why should we hire you as Assistant Principal?
I think I can bring a lot of experience to the table. Leading instruction has been something that I have been successful with at Lawrence. I have implemented new initiatives at Lawrence with success and would like a new challenge and a chance to learn something new.
19. Tell us why do you want a career as an assistant principal?
It has always been a professional goal of mine. Being an assistant principal will allow me to impact change and have a little more of an influence in doing so.
20. Tell us what Is Your Approach to Student Discipline?
At times the principal may delegate the discipline of an unruly student to you. A potential employer will want to know how you have used discipline in the past and whether it was effective. Some administrators use detention, suspension or even expulsion. Respond with specific situations you have dealt with and detail what you learned from each. Include information about the offense, the steps you took and the outcome. If you are new to administration, use what you have learned in your classes and witnessed in your educational experience to detail how you would handle an imaginary but common scenario. You might also explain how and when you would involve parents and teachers in a disciplinary issue.
With our school leadership team and we are working to increase bell to bell instruction. We have completed walkthroughs and then analyzed the data and presented the info to our entire faculty.
22. Explain us what is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it?
The most difficult situation is when a student did not pass their course work and they come to you and ask what can you do. I tell them what they need to do and and our plan for the following year and what we are going to do to address that particular course.
I am so excited about all that technology has to offer. In my class in particular I rely on technology everyday, as I don't have a textbook a series. I receive many ideas on current trends from fellow music teachers.
This is a difficult question as you cannot rely on your education and experience to sell yourself. What hiring panels are looking for when they ask this question is whatever you feel is most important to share with them. They're looking for candidates who avoid canned responses. They are seeking to learn how you see yourself and what you value about yourself.
You should focus on your best qualities, such as your work ethic: Did you work your way through college? Or were you the first in your family to earn a university degree?; your background in other areas: finance, fund-raising, charity work, adult education, training student teachers, ability to speak a second language, grant writing; maybe you have a license in special education, and so forth. Interviewers like to hear about your tenacity or “stick to it” attitude even when things get difficult.
Interviewers also want to hear about responsibility, integrity, kindness and a love for children, as well as a desire to make a difference in their lives. But don't just focus on your love for children. That is not enough to set you apart from the other candidates. The panel wants to detect a sense of professionalism and wants to hear what is in your heart. Make sure you express a real passion for improving education and helping students maximize their potentials.
Conflicts among students are unavoidable, and there is little that can be done to completely eliminate these situations. However, you need to explain the various measures you would take to imbibe a sense of unity and respect among the students for each other.
