Principals are powerful: They are the primary catalysts for creating a lasting foundation for learning, driving school and student performance, and shaping the long-term impact of school improvement efforts. Yet few principals would characterize themselves as powerful. Rather, they're self-effacing, adaptable, pragmatic, and quick to share credit and shoulder the blame. They're masters of absorbing, filtering, and modifying the agendas of others (chiefly teachers, superintendents, boards, and parents)--often at the expense of their own--to piece together a blended plan that benefits their students. More important, principals are mindful that they do more than merely "go to work." The research, the pundits, the news media, and the policymakers say the same thing: The nation requires excellent schools, and excellent schools require effective principals. Today, the principalship stands out in bold relief against a complex backdrop--a puzzle comprised of often conflicting federal guidelines and state requirements, skimpy funds to cover fat mandates, simplistic measurements for multifaceted goals, a chorus of criticism and appreciation, and a world that is changing at breakneck speed. It's against this backdrop that the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) developed a long-term, national, comprehensive initiative called the Power of the Principal. This article presents its goals and discusses how NAESP is driving this strategy along two parallel tracks: (1) advocacy; and (2) awareness. (Contains 4 online resources.)