This article reviews recent literature in educational administration that supports the argument that leadership matters. School principals exert influence on teachers, who in turn affect student achievement. There is a need for an international approach both to replicate large studies and to use a narrative approach to study leaders in their historical and school context. Concepts and methods from adult development can provide an understanding of the role of the principal. Future research in educational administration should address the lives of principals expressed in their own voices. (Contains 1 table.)