The present study examines the nonroutine problems that eight Anglo-American principals encountered in managing three elementary bilingual immersion schools in the Northwest United States. Using qualitative inquiry to collect data, I employed the multisited ethnographic research model. The principals reported nonroutine problems in the following educational areas: interpersonal communication, academic practices, organization and administration, and teaching and learning. The findings indicate that social and cultural factors are important in affecting the reporting of these problems. The discussion focuses on the exploration of what makes these problems nonroutine and what lessons are to be learned from these problems concerning leadership in multicultural educational settings.