Effective schools research gave birth to a new role for principals: instructional leader. Recent studies have suggested the relationship between strong school instructional leadership and higher student achievement. Skeptics question whether the principal's job is realistic and reasonable, with its emphasis on instructional leadership, multiple managerial responsibilities, and conflicting time demands. A more crucial question is, can the job allow the principal more time for instructional pursuits to provide greater impact on student learning? The answer to which this article explores.

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This study was designed to analyze the hiring criteria of principals in Iowa to determine whether districts were seeking the characteristics of second-order change in their principals. Using content analysis, hiring criteria provided by districts were coded to identify those that described second-order change responsibilities per Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning's Balanced Leadership Framework. There was little congruence between the hiring criteria and the characteristics of second-order change. The results revealed that only 21% of the criteria were coded as second-order change, 46% of the districts did not use written criteria, and those hiring secondary principals were half as likely to include second-order change characteristics as those seeking elementary principals. The authors provide recommendations for districts and higher education as they seek school leaders who can initiate significant change.

The primary responsibility of schools is to provide students with the essential skills that are necessary for full participation in society. Teachers and administrators know children's basic health and social service needs must first be resolved before the learning needs of high-risk children can be successfully addressed. Since schools cannot be expected to solve every student need by themselves, school officials need to reach out to other agencies that serve children and actively seek ways to collaborate and share resources.

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