Veteran educators Seifert and Vornberg utilize the six standards created by the Interstate School Leaders Consortium (ISLLIC) and used in developing and redesigning preparation programs and state certification examinations to discuss those issues faced by practicing elementary and secondary school principals. Each chapter begins with a short case study emanating from a fictitious school district and culminates with student activities that address the concepts discussed in the chapter. Questions and activities follow and provide the reader with an opportunity to apply the concepts discussed. This design makes it an ideal text for use with principal certification programs offered by higher education units and other alternative certification programs.
The practice of the principalship is viewed by the authors as a systematic process that addresses the operation of a school as a set of interrelated parts and skills that work together to create a self-correcting model of student learning, teaching, and stakeholder participation. An instructor's manual is available as a separate publication.

Edward H. Seifert has spent the past thirty-five years serving as school superintendent, high school principal, assistant principal, university faculty member, university department chair, and assistant dean in two colleges of education. Currently he is working on a change process that requires principals to understand, analyze, and develop prescriptions for changing instruction.
James Vornberg is professor and department head of educational administration at Texas A&M University-Commerce. For seventeen years he has been the director of the Principals Center that serves principals with staff development programs.