From their own teaching experiences, principals can have valuable insight into the challenges teachers face in the classroom. But they must also position themselves as guides and as models for teachers who, in the face of significant change, have to become learners themselves. Knowledge about research supporting a school’s reform model, an understanding of data utilization, and continuous, intensive professional development are all crucial in establishing the knowledge base necessary to support reform. In A New Vision for Staff Development (Sparks and Hirsh, 1997), elementary school principal Rosie O’Brian Votjek talks about leading a change-focused school: "I served as a facilitator, consultant, instructor, and colleague who assisted teachers in integrating curriculum and using new instructional practices. . . . I promoted different kinds of staff development, but the most important thing I did was ‘walk the talk.’’’

Although it is not the most glamorous aspect of the job, a principal’s role in overseeing the physical structures of the school is key. Kathy Anderson, principal of Tom Elementary in Haworth, Oklahoma, laughs, "I frequently find myself doing custodial work. Whatever it takes to keep the school running." A functional school is not enough, though. Researchers have discovered that the physical condition of a school can make a difference in student achievement (Council for Educational Development and Research, 1997). The physical aspects of a school need to reflect the vision for reform: examples of students’ work displayed on the walls, clean, bright spaces that exhibit pride in the schools’ appearance, classrooms that allow for flexibility in different seating arrangements, and adequate resources for both students and teachers.

A philosopher is often thought of as having his "head in the clouds." But a principal’s lofty perspective is as necessary to the life of a school as his practicality. Frequently, as Thomas Sergiovanni (1984) observes, "The principal is… the one who seeks to define, strengthen, and articulate those enduring values, beliefs, and cultural strands that give the school its identity." In helping to shape the vision, a principal must work to include all of the stakeholders throughout the entire change process. This inclusion helps ensure not only the buy-in of the stakeholders, but also an increased sense of empowerment and greater potential for long-term sustainability of the school’s reform efforts.

This role shouldn’t be seen as a mandate for a principal to enforce rules. Rather, principals work to create a safe school environment, to make their presence known by "walking their beats," and to "keep the peace" through conflict-resolution and mediation. A principal’s skill in promoting healthy, productive interactions among the staff is valuable, particularly in making sure that both negative and positive feedback is heard and considered, effectively giving teachers "power" to participate in decisionmaking and enact change in the school.