The Assistant Principal 50: Critical Questions for Meaningful Leadership and Professional Growth

by Baruti K. Kafele

ASCD bestseller! Baruti Kafele turns his attention to assistant principals in a book designed to spark reflection and clarify the influence of this often misunderstood role.

You're an Assistant Principal. Whatever your status—the sole AP in your school, one of two or more APs in your school, a career AP, an AP aspiring to the principalship—yours is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized positions in education. Positioned between teachers and the principal, you are an instructional leader. However, you are not the leader of the school. Therefore, you must carefully navigate your way to ensure that you thrive in your role without "stepping on the toes" of your principal.

In The Assistant Principal 50, award-winning, four-time principal Baruti Kafele presents reflective questions that encompass the breadth and depth of the assistant principalship—from finding your leadership "lane" to thriving and being an asset to your principal. Kafele infuses the book (which also includes guidance and insights for principals and aspiring assistant principals) from beginning to end with personal anecdotes and accounts of both failures and successes from his years as an assistant principal. He arms you with tools and insights that will drive you to view the assistant principalship as critical to the climate and culture of your school as well as to student achievement.

You, assistant principal, play a critical role in your school's success. The questions that Kafele asks you to consider will aid you as you hone your leadership skills toward becoming an effective leader in your school.

Genres: Education, Leadership, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Teaching

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2020

About the author

A highly-regarded urban educator in New Jersey for over twenty years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher in East Orange, NJ, he was selected as the East Orange School District and Essex County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, he was a New Jersey State Teacher of the Year finalist, and a recipient of the New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence.

As a middle and high school principal, Principal Kafele led the turnaround of four different New Jersey urban schools, including "The Mighty" Newark Tech, which went from a low-performing school in need of improvement to national recognition, which included U.S. News and World Report Magazine recognizing it three times as one of America's best high schools.

One of the most sought-after school leadership experts and education speakers in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! He has delivered over two thousand conference and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars and student assemblies over his 34 years of public speaking. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the "Attitude Gap.”

A prolific writer, Principal Kafele has written extensively on professional development strategies for creating a positive school climate and culture, transforming the attitudes of at-risk students, motivating Black males to excel in the classroom, and school leadership practices for inspiring schoolwide excellence. In addition to writing several professional articles for popular education journals, he has authored 10 books, including his six ASCD best sellers - The ASPIRING Principal 50, Is My School a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50, The Teacher 50, Closing the Attitude Gap, and Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School & in Life. His next book – The ASSISTANT Principal 50 will be released in Summer, 2020.

Principal Kafele is married to his wife Kimberley, and is the father of their three children, Baruti, Jabari and Kibriya. He earned his B.S. degree in Management Science/Marketing from Kean University and his M.A. degree in Educational Administration from New Jersey City University. He is the recipient of over 150 educational, professional and community awards which include the prestigious Milken National Educator Award, the National Alliance of Black School Educators Hall of Fame Award, induction into the East Orange, New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the City of Dickinson, Texas proclaiming February 8, 1998 as Baruti Kafele Day.

Reviews

[Francesc Borrull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Principal Kafele is, without a doubt, one of the most prominent voices in educational leadership today. A former teacher and principal, Baruti Kafele is now an independent consultant who travels around the country helping all kinds of schools improve their systems and practices to increase student academic achievement.
Principal Kafele is a frequent collaborator of ASCD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), one of the educational leadership association with the largest membership in the world. He is also very active in Social Media (he has his own website and a dedicated youtube channel, and he is found in twitter and facebook), where he is currently (May - Aug 2020) offering a FREE Leadership Academy for Aspiring Assistant Principals. This Academy supports this book, which is an excellent guide to those who are aspiring Assistant Principals, or who are already in the job (and even Principals) so they can understand their role better.
Unfortunately, in the words of Principal Kafele, the A.P. is the most misunderstood role in education. And he is right. An A.P. should NOT be the dean of students. He/She should NOT be the disciplinarian. He/She should NOT be the cafeteria supervisor. An Assistant Principal, in essence, is in a school building to ASSIST the Principal in INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. Therefore, he is instructional leader #2 (behind the Principal). An effective Assistant Principal belongs in the classroom supervising teachers, so he/she can build teacher capacity and make an ACADEMIC difference in students.
I have read The Aspiring Principal 50, and I appreciate Principal Kafele knowledge and expertise in the subject. His style is direct and based on inquiry, meaning, he poses 50 questions (thus the title) for you to reflect on your role as an Assistant Principal, with the goal of increasing academic achievement and, ultimately, making a difference in the school you lead. I would encourage anybody in the business of educational leadership to read his books. I also appreciate he does not sell you fluff. You may be thinking his books are 'short.' But you shall never judge a book by its cover! It is my experience that most books are 250 pages, out of which 150 are fluff. I rather read Kafele's books because in every page, in every line, I find truth!
Peace!

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook. Had I read it, I may have been more generous in my rating. The book has a very conversational tone, like a fireside chat, which translated very poorly into audio when read by someone who clearly needed to be more passionate about the subject matter.

I've since watched several of the author's YouTube videos and see that his style is very conversational. I wonder why he didn't narrate it himself, as I think it could have made all the difference.

Format-aside, this was an OK entry-level book for questions about school leadership. Its biggest downfall is that it is incredibly repetitive. The banal points, while true, are repeated ad nauseam in multiple sections of the book, and they become very easy to tune out.

Having now listened to his YouTube videos, I'd probably recommend skipping this book and heading over there for much more engaging, relevant content.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written for someone who has woken up one morning, wandered into a school, and declared himself or herself an Assistant Principal with no prior experience, knowledge, or education. Written in a tone that presumes the person reading the book has no innate capability of self-reflection and has never considered any of the fundamental issues and concerns of the job.

[Larina Warnock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative book as I start the admin journey. Some sections are repetitive, but on the whole, it was a good introduction to the things I wouldn't know to ask about. I appreciated the acknowledgement that admin prep programs don't really prep someone for an assistant role, even though most of us will at least start there. I also appreciated the differentiation between what a career AP should be thinking about and what someone seeking their own principalship should be thinking about. A very pragmatic approach to the role.

[La-Shanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Dr. Kafele examines the role of the Assistant Principal. Typically, Assistant Principals serve as disciplinarians, inventory (textbooks and supplies) managers and transportation monitor. According to him, Assistant Principals are under-utilized. If you are an aspiring Assistant Principal, I recommend "The Assistant Principal 50: Critical Questions for Meaningful Leadership and Professional Growth."

[Kate Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I was hoping for a little bit more on solely being an Assistant Principal and the work required; there was lots of talk about becoming a principal after this stepping stone with just little tidbits bits on if you just want to stay an AP. Now is YouTube videos are amazing and I highly recommend them!

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful, quick read. I wish I had read it a year ago, before I took in my first AP role. Some of the information seemed obvious, but it was a very helpful exercise in reflection. It helped me think about my role last school year and how I plan to improve this coming school year as an AP in a different school.

[Tida Banfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Principal Kafele tackles key questions and topics for one of the most ambiguous roles in education. The role of Assistant Principal. A straight forward guide with excellent tips for new administrators and a great refresher resource for those already in the role.

[Steve B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise book of thinks APs should be considering

Quick read, but something to go back too as you learn and grow. Sets out the responsibility necessary for this position thoroughly.

[Antwon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational Book!

This should be the first book read before one steps on the campus as a vice principal. The book gets down to what one really needs to do to be an effective leader. It is student focused.

[Mary Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this over time - I enjoyed it and it had some great tips geared just for APs. So much of school leadership is geared towards principals. I appreciated this was for me - someone in the early stages of this part of my career.

[LaMar Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Principal Kafele gives life to the title of Asst Principal. He breaks down the importance the job has and explains the underutilize role to principals

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handy little pocket book with inspirational and practical advice that is easily referenced.

[Amanda Crossley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for any AP. I used it as a personal journal prompt exercise. Great tool for deeper self-reflection in your practice as an administrator.

[Ryan Pelkey]

He brings it, no doubt. Complete knowledge.

[Niurka Coy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great "Handbook"

This is a great resource for ideas and self-reflection. It will remain within reach for me as I continue to improve my educational leadership skills.

[Cassandra's Rebellion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty basic reading set up as questions asked by assistant principals. The book gave minimal advice as it was focused more on general information.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super practical, I love the format- used the questions for reflection...

[Allyson e · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for APs. I wish it made more action steps, but I loved the thought provoking questions. Would love a 2.0 with more info on each question.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed when I needed it. Practical and straightforward.

[Martha Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Great questions. Great wisdom and advice.

[Catherine Ales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relevant questions for a new assistant Principal to review when in the role. Also good for a Principal to know when developing there assistant principal.