Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, there have been enormous pressures placed on public schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Data from standardized state assessments are being used to examine student growth and to create stronger accountability measures for schools. Educators have had to redefine, restructure, and refocus their efforts on best instructional practices, and they have placed an increased emphasis on student improvement. The federal government, states, and school districts are placing increased demands on building principals, who have the challenge to serve as instructional leaders, rather than as overseers of their buildings. Principals not only have to concern themselves with the management of the school itself, but also with accountability processes as they relate to teaching and learning. The Race to the Top program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, led many states to enact changes in their teacher evaluation policy. Race to the Top is built on a framework of comprehensive reform in four core education reform areas: adopting rigorous standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace; recruiting, developing, retaining, and rewarding effective teachers and principals; building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices; and turning around the lowest-performing schools. Also, these changes include adapting more rigorous classroom observation instruments and supporting their use in high-stakes decisions such as teacher promotion, compensation, and dismissal. Research conducted prior to the enactment of Race to the Top found that leadership, especially instructional leadership, was one of several characteristics of successful schools. Evidence has also shown that school leaders who are knowledgeable about their district's evaluation process are likely to be successful in helping teachers interpret and adapt to current policies (Burch & Spillane, 2003; Coburn, 2005; Youngs, 2007). Teachers depend on the leadership in their building to support their implementation of effective instructional practices that are mandated by new teacher evaluation systems. However, there has been little research on the characteristics of effective principal leadership in the context of new approaches to teacher evaluation.
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