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It varies depending on the district or region. Where I am, many
AP's are hired directly from the classroom, but we don't have
deans, so as you can see our situations are different. I believe
some of our AP positions are equivalent to your deans. AP's are
hired directly from teaching here because there aren't many
other "stepping stones" in between those two positions.
As for the question about leaving mid-year, I think if you take
a position (any position: teacher, dean, AP) you should
anticipate having that position for the full school year. Where
I am on the west coast, most open positions occur at the
beginning of the school year (or summer) anyway; there aren't
many mid-year openings for positions of any kind. There are
occasional exceptions, of course, but it's two issues: will
there be openings and should you leave a position you've only
had for a short time. Unless there are unusual circumstances I'd
generally say no to both. (And although I realize this isn't
what you asked, I'll add: never take a position that you aren't
at least willing to fill for a year.)
I'm not sure how helpful this is since it's clear that our
regional situations are different, but I wish you good luck!

On 6/26/14, Forgot to mention.. wrote:
> I should also mention that I'm torn because I would feel
> uncomfortable leaving mid-year if I begin a new position as a
> CRT or dean for an AP position. This would mean that I would
> need to suspend my search until later in the year.
>
> On 6/26/14, Future Principal in Florida wrote:
>> I'm in a large district in Central Florida. It's fairly
>> competitive and I am happy to report that I just completed
>> the administrative pool process. (I should be able to apply
>> in three weeks.) I'm excited about the possibility of
>> landing an AP position, but I am also aware of the fact that
>> most AP's in my county were deans or CRT's first.
>>
>> I left the classroom years ago to work as a reading coach,
>> but I went on to take several years off to raise my
>> children. I've also worked with pre-service teachers as an
>> instructor at a large university. I completed a rigorous
>> leadership program that included a "hybrid" approach to the
>> administrative internship (in elementary and middle school
>> settings).
>>
>> I'm torn between staying put in my current position (and
>> applying for AP positions) and aggressively seeking a
>> leadership position for next year. I've heard that it is
>> possible to move directly from the classroom (but unlikely).
>>
>> Thoughts? Would you even CONSIDER hiring a candidate who is
>> currently in the classroom? I have fantastic qualifications
>> and have been told that it may be possible for me, but I'm
>> feeling unsure of the decision to stay put.

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