The study analyzed data from two main sources: 1) the RAND American School Leader Panel (ASLP) Omnibus Survey, which was administered in fall 2024, and 2) the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which was last administered in 2020-21.

The RAND survey involves a nationally representative sample of K-12 public school principals. The school leaders responded to questions about their assistant principals. To support recall and reduce burden, the survey asked principals to focus on a single assistant principal for survey items about assistant principals’ tasks, professional development activities, and meetings with the principals. For schools with multiple assistant principals, the survey asked principals to focus on their least experienced principal. The ASLP survey sample included responses from 1,019 principals in 587 elementary schools, 188 middle schools, and 224 high schools. 

The NTPS was administered to a nationally representative sample of K-12 public schools with questionnaires for schools, principals, and teachers. It includes about 9,900 public schools.

The study team conducted descriptive analyses of survey responses from principals to examine the assistant principal role. Responses on the ASLP survey are weighted to account for the survey’s sampling design, ensure a nationally representative sample, and adjust for survey nonresponses.

The study team also examined relationships between survey responses and school characteristics, including school level, Title I status, school size, locale (urban, suburban, and town/rural) and district characteristics such as district size.

Finally, the study team provided descriptive analyses to extend trends from NTPS using ASLP data on the prevalence of assistant principals in schools.