To improve student achievement schools need the leadership of knowledgeable, highly skilled, and visionary principals and superintendents. Exemplary school leadership doesn't develop in isolation, however. Strong leadership grows from dynamic, collaborative, and intentional interactions between superintendents and their principals. These savvy…

Although the principal of a new school must tackle curriculum planning, staffing, and community relations, the greatest challenge is making sure the building opens smoothly and on time. A principal must be a key planner, an events coordinator, a good communicator, a maintenance supervisor, and a visionary leader. (MLH)

Elementary principals can definitely make a difference in children's lives, according to a recent Project Success survey. Interviewees reinforced the characteristics of successful principals identified in NAESP's "Principals for 21st Century Schools." They are modest, visionary, dedicated, hard-working advocates for children who are not…