Effective schools research indicates that principals heavily influence student achievement and school improvement. Although principals are responsible for administering special education programs and ensuring appropriate evaluation and placement of handicapped students, their university preparation and professional training have been minimal and fragmentary. Kentucky has developed and implemented a 13-day training program for principals called PRIDE (Principals, Resources, Information, and Direction for Excellence in Special Education). This program, consisting of four institutes spaced throughout the school year, is based on adult learning theory and an experiential learning model. PRIDE's first goal is to overcome professional isolation by offering principals peer support and a statewide communication system. The second goal, training principals in leadership skills for serving handicapped students, aims at on-the-job change. Objectives target attitudes and competencies needed to administer special education programs. Also, these new skills may be used to improve the total school program. Third-party quantitative and qualitative evaluations indicate desired changes in principals' attitudes and behavior (Author/MLH)