Lost in Transition?: Campus Leaders' Professional Pathways

As new assistant principals, our participants spoke of the importance of gaining experience. In this qualitative study, four years later, they admit that professional expertise must be a combination of challenging experiences and honest feedback from mentors. Furthermore, they present that this expertise is contingent upon identity. Transitioning along a career pathway becomes interplay of what the job requires, how the leader adapts when accepting and performing those responsibilities, and a deepening awareness of the congruence between personal and professional identity.