Complexities in Context: Uncovering Differences in School Leaders’ Needs and Mentoring Based on School Environment

As the demands on public school leaders continue to increase, their need for support increases. Mentoring is one way school leaders may experience that support. In this paper, we examine the support school leaders state they need and the extent to which mentorship may be addressing those needs. We draw on survey results matched to school and district characteristics for 422 school leaders in a midsize northeastern state. Based on regression analyses, we find that many school leaders report needing support most strongly in instructional leadership and attending to equity and diversity. We also find that while many school leaders report the mentoring they receive is sufficient and beneficial, perceived sufficiency varies based on school environment.