ABSTRACT
This study seeks to understand U.S. policymaker expectations regarding principals during a decade of increased school accountability. We used historical methodology to map connections and locate themes among principal-centered reform documents and policies from the past ten years. We found that policymakers framed the principal as someone who: (1) serves as the focal point of school improvement initiatives, (2) delegates leadership to others, and (3) accepts ultimate individual responsibility for school results. We contend that, in the end, these three resonant policy themes from the decade intensified rather than softened the notion of school leader as superprincipal. The study concludes by considering implications. Full Text Journal attached on Front Page in PDF (subscription or NCPEA Member ONLY)