Vice Principal
: Job Details :

Vice principals are an essential part of a successful school. They help to encourage students and solve issues that occur on a day-to-day basis. Vice principals are often individuals who are passionate about education and who want to provide better opportunities to students in their local area.

Vice principals are involved in many aspects of daily administration and education. They may also evaluate new teachers and develop new curriculum. In small schools, there may be only one vice principal. Large schools often have more than one vice principal to help disperse the workload of the administration team.

The vice principals role is engrained in the schools administrative functions. They handle various administrative tasks and meet with teachers to discuss ways to improve the school environment.

They also handle student discipline and meet with parents of students to discuss the students behavior or address parent concerns. Although principals still handle many of the major administrative tasks, vice principals take on a large part of the administrative load.

Some of the most common responsibilities of a vice principal include:

• Hiring and training staff
• Planning emergency drills
• Meeting with parents
• Addressing health and safety concerns
• Ordering textbooks and supplies for the schools
• Communicating with parents and students
• Handling school clubs and social programs

A vice principals duties can change depending on the school and the current principal. Many of the vice principals daily activities reside in a gray area, meaning they arent listed in the job description. Essentially, the vice principal will pick up any task that helps the school continue to run smoothly.

EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES What Education Does a Vice Principal Need?

To become a vice principal, you will need both a bachelors degree and a masters degree, as well as have several years of teaching or school counseling experience.

Many vice principals receive a bachelors in education and begin their careers as teachers. Any education degree that leads to teacher licensure can be a great fit. Similarly for those who already have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field, a masters degree that prepares you for licensure can be a great fit.

After earning a teaching degree and spending time in the classroom or school gaining experience, a masters degree will be your next step. A Master of Science in Educational Leadership is an ideal degree option for those who want to become vice principals. This degree will give you key skills in finances, law, curriculum, and ethics that are valuable for a vice principal. This credential and the skills you will acquire are crucial for taking the next step in your career.

What Is the Projected Job Growth?

The career growth for vice principals in the next 10 years is 6%, slightly higher than the national average job growth of 3.7%. Similarly, the career growth for principals and school superintendents is higher than the national average. Principal jobs are expected to grow by 4%, and superintendent jobs are expected to grow by 6%.

SKILLS What Skills Does a Vice Principal Need?

Vice principals are individuals who are excited to create better educational programs for students in their area. They often enjoy working with kids and can easily foster relationships with the students at their school.

Vice principals must have skills that include:

• A passion for education. Vice principals create the curriculum for students and play a key part in their education.
• Excellent communication. Vice principals need to communicate with other faculty members, teachers, and parents on an hourly basis.
• Organizational skills. Vice principals are in charge of multiple activities, meetings, and policies, and they need to stay organized.
• Interpersonal skills. Having interpersonal skills will help vice principals better communicate and interact with teachers, faculty, and parents.
• Time management. Throughout the day, vice principals will discover new projects and tasks that need to be completed on a deadline.
• Decision-making. Nearly every administrative decision rests on the shoulders of the principal and vice principal. Vice principals need to make good decisions quickly.

Vice principals serve in a variety of capacities and are expected to handle tasks as they arise. Schools have ever-changing curriculums, new staff, emergencies, and other problems that arise. Vice principals need to be able to analyze and process information quickly to arrive at timely solutions.

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