Responding to the Expressed Needs of Urban Middle School Principals

School principals are deemed essential to current school reform, yet the rhetoric about their importance is often unaccompanied by sufficient attention either to what new knowledge and skills they need or to how they will learn what they need to know to forward today s complex reform agenda. Principals who were trained to be managers are now expected to be leaders in the context of school reform and district decentralization. Despite these role changes, many school reform efforts provide little opportunity for principals to learn what they need to know to forward reform at the school and classroom levels. This article, based on a study of 23 urban middle school principals who participated in extended professional development designed to address their knowledge and skill needs, addresses two questions: (a) What do principals engaged in urban middle school reform report that they need to know to lead reform that includes a significant focus on teaching and learning? and (b) Based on their reports and other knowledge about professional development, what pedagogical strategies might maximize principals' learning?