the principal is the key person in determining whether a school succeeds." "Good principals are focused on instruction and student learning." "It's harder and harder to find good principals to replace those who are retir- ing." "Our best teachers don't aspire to be principals. We think that's because the job is getting more difficult to do each year."
Comments such as these have filled educational publications for the past few years and can be overheard in the hallways wherever school leaders gather. At the same time, we hear: "The job of the principal is too big for one person. No one can be expected to do all those things." "Teachers have leadership talents we don't tap." "It's important to find ways that teachers' leadership abilities can be used without them leaving the classrooms to become administrators."
The "vision" described in Part I-high levels of learning for all students, all students with competent teachers, all teachers receiving the powerful new forms of professional development they require to be effective with an increasingly diverse student body-re- quires principals who are consensus builders, strong instructional leaders, and skillful