Mentoring for Principals: Pre-Service and In-Service Models

Abstract

Mentoring is an increasingly important element in the preparation of principals in many countries, including Singapore, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). In Singapore and the US, mentoring forms part of a pre-service programme of training for intending principals. In the UK, it is a voluntary programme which takes place during their first year as principals. The efficacy of mentoring depends on the quality of the mentor/protege relationship at least as much as the organisational and cultural framework within which it operates. Definitions and conceptions of mentoring are remarkably similar in different societies and its advantages appear to outweigh its disadvantages in both Singapore and the UK.

Descriptors::

• Mentoring
• school management
• principals