Effective leadership is more than the ability to demonstrate specific skills. The validity of early effective principal and leadership trait research has been questioned by recent studies. School improvement formulas that are narrowly focused on basic skills could easily lead to more demanding treatment of students. Recent studies show that effective principals have priorities and leadership traits that reflect conscious concern for students. "Proactive" is the term commonly used to describe overall characteristics of effective administrators. These include a motivation toward positive achievement and a balance between task and interpersonal relations. Five major behavioral areas of effective leaders are: (1) a vision (clear goals); (2) an ability to communicate the vision; (3) a concern for a supportive environment; (4) a tendency not only to monitor teacher performance but also to give insights into observed behavior; and (5) an intervention process to reward the positive and correct problems. Certain common, observable factors are exhibited by effective principals, including a concern for all aspects of the educational endeavor and an understanding that improvement involves change. (EJS)