Elena Prokopets
Claire Briggs Webber, CPRW
Many people don’t realize the level of experience and education it takes to become an assistant principal. They also don’t appreciate the work and dedication it takes. You’ve taken time to receive your advanced degree and likely put in years of work as an educator. Now you are ready to move up the career ladder and land a managerial position.
To do that, you’re going to need to present the best possible application package. Let’s focus on your cover letter for now. Below, we have provided a sample assistant principal cover letter. Check it out, and then review a few helpful writing tips.
Assistant Principal Cover Letter Example (Word)
Assistant Principal Cover Letter (plain text)
Dear Dr. Bradley,
My name is Dr. Laverne Wiley, and the purpose of this letter is to state my interest in pursuing the job of assistant principal at Highland elementary school in the Parkwood school district. I have reviewed the criteria thoroughly and concluded that my background is an excellent fit. Additionally, I have taken steps to begin the required background checks and submitted my licensure and letters of recommendation via the provided document upload work.
Currently, I am working as the director of student activities at Palace Point elementary. In this role, I am responsible for the administration of all extracurricular activities including tutoring programs, after-school care, scouting, athletics, and field trips among other activities. More specifically, I:
- Recruit and conduct background checks on activities sponsors
- Optimize activity schedules to avoid resource conflicts
- Negotiate and manage the student activities budget
- Cooperate with other school staff and community leaders to create better programming
I am very proud of the work I’ve done in this position. Palace Point now has a robust selection of student enrichment programs, which were recently spotlighted by “Edu Administration Zine”, as well as Parkwood school district administration.
In addition, I have more than five years of experience as an educational instructor. Elementary education is an absolute passion of mine. My core philosophy is that principals are responsible for creating a welcoming, nurturing school environment where every child can reach their potential. This is something I have implemented in my work as a teacher and administrator and I would love the opportunity to do the same as a principal in your district.
I am available immediately for interviews and could start at the beginning of the fall semester if offered this position. I have informed my current employer that I am pursuing other opportunities, and that I will not be renewing my contract.
Look forward to your response,
Dr. Laverne Wiley
How to Write an Assistant Principal Cover
To write a strong cover letter for an assistant principal position, you have to showcase a good mix of administrative and leadership skills. Even if you haven’t held a management position earlier, present your teaching experience in a way that shows that you can handle more complex organizational tasks and effectively collaborate with other stakeholders.
Here are several must-know writing tips to help you with that.
Showcase Your Contributions
Maybe you helped a great number of elementary school students raise their reading levels by a grade or two with a textbook you wrote. Or maybe you have given a number of students counseling and ultimately raised morale in the previous school you had taught in?
Such contributions to better learning experiences and outcomes deserve the most prominent spot in your assistant principal cover letter. After all, anyone with a certain level of teaching experience can apply for this position. However, your unique accomplishments do make a difference between you and other candidates.
Don’t be Afraid to Use Simple Phrases
Remember that while knowing big words and obscure phrases can show that you are an intelligent person, they can also make your letter harder to comprehend. That’s never a good thing since most hiring committees are busy.
Therefore, simplify your cover letter and get straight and to the point. Talk about your current role, main duties, accomplishments, and competitive skills. Address your motivation for going after this position. Share just enough information to tickle the readers’ curiosity.
Condense Your Experience
Your cover letter should be only one page long. It should also be an introduction to your candidacy, not a 5-page novella. If you have extensive teaching experience it can be tempting to put it on full display to prove that you are capable of handling the job of an assistant principal. However, this is not the way to go about this.
Instead, highlight the most important aspects of your career in order to capture the depth of your career as a whole. This will ultimately allow your leadership and administrative experience to shine. Leave the rest for your resume!
Final Tip: Customize Your Cover Letter to The School
Every school is different. They are serving different communities, have different priorities, or funding levels. Your cover letter should reflect that. Your writing will be more relevant and your letter will seem much more genuine if you take some extra time to research the school you’re applying to and mention some of this data in your letter.
