Reassessing the Principal's Role in School Effectiveness: A Review of Empirical Research, 1980-1995

Although there is little disagreement concerning the belief that principals have an impact on the lives of teachers and students, both the nature and degree of this effect continues to be open to debate. The relationship is complex and not easily subject to empirical verification. This article reviews the empirical literature on the relationship between the principal's role and school effectiveness during the period from 1980 to 1995. We specifically focus on the conceptual underpinnings of several theoretical models to study the role, the relationship between models and methods of investigation, and, consequently, to what has been learned about the nature of the principal's impact. We conclude by framing a possible research agenda for the next generation of studies on the effects of school administration.