Responses by 247 special education directors, superintendents of schools, and principals of schools with special education teachers to a questionnaire listing 43 tasks of the perceived role of the special education director revealed greater consensus among the three groups than had been expected. Frequency distributions, analysis of variance, and factor analysis were performed. Analysis of the data suggested that the most clearly identifiable factor was one associated with the facilitator trainer dimension of the role, even though it was seen as the least important by each of the three groups of respondents. A policy planner factor also emerged from task items originally associated with other constructs (advocacy, program management, and monitoring-evaluation). Policy planning was viewed as most important by directors and principals, and second most important by superintendents. Superintendents considered the legal rights guarantor factor as the most important, while directors and principals ranked it second. Views of principals toward the role of special education directors were seen as less clear than those of the other two groups. (CL)