Countless school administrators will soon be retiring, and as a result, school systems must proactively help novice administrators quickly “learn the ropes.” Two ways to assist novices are: (1) mentoring, and (2) shadow consulting. Mentoring entails coupling a respected, experienced administrator with the novice and moving the novice to higher levels of productivity and effectiveness. Shadow consulting places a shadow consultant with the novice who monitors the individual's daily routine, provides the individual with performance feedback, and helps the individual develop a personal improvement plan. Mentoring and shadow consulting are excellent vehicles for “bringing novices on board” and “improving veteran administrators’ skills.”
