Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this Delphi study were to ask selected experts to identify five skills that will help first-year elementary principals in California: (a) address critical issues they will face by 2012, (b) determine the importance of the implementation of these skills by 2012, and (c) determine the likelihood of the implementation of these skills by 2012. Methodology. This Delphi study included twenty experts in three categories: (1) experienced principals, (2) superintendents and assistant superintendents, and (3) county office trainers and university experts in charge of research design and training for first-year principals. Data were collected using email and SurveyMonkey.com. The return rate was 100 percent for all three rounds. Findings. Fourteen of the thirty-one skills were rated as of major importance to the success of first year principals. The top five skills were identified as highly important and likely to be implemented by first-year principals in 2012. They are (1) recruit, train, and retain quality teachers; (2) maintain a balance between professional and personal life through regular exercise, healthy eating habits, rest, and time for personal growth; (3) promote a positive school culture through cooperation, collaboration, mutual respect, and trust; (4) develop strong interpersonal relationships with staff and constituent groups through active listening, understanding, and compassion; and (5) demonstrate continuous visibility on campus and in classrooms to insure a safe and orderly environment, and implement discipline plans with clear, specific consequences. Conclusions. (1) There is a gap between increasing role expectations for first-year principals and the skills they possess; (2) current first-year principals often use old solutions to solve current, increasingly complex problems; and (3) specific, continuous support programs are needed to help first-year principals understand the existing district and school culture, and develop effective working relationships with all constituent groups. Future research. Conduct a similar study in five years, with a focus on the political context of education, and the internal and external political skills first-year elementary principals will need to address the critical issues they will face.