This paper summarizes research on the instructional role of the principal and its implications for at-risk students, with a focus on principal-teacher interaction. Principals who demonstrate effective instructional leadership and help at-risk students are able to meet students' and teachers' basic/instructional, academic/professional, and affective needs. In schools where at-risk students are achieving success, principals: (1) support teachers' instructional methods; (2) allocate resources and materials; (3) make frequent visits to classrooms for instructional purposes; (4) solicit and provide feedback on instructional methods and techniques; and (5) use data to focus attention on improving the curriculum or instructional approach. (LMI)