Being a principal was the most demanding job I ever had. I worked hard, mostly in isolation. Like most principals, I struggled to manage the position’s political and bureaucratic necessities in order to concentrate on what I thought was the fundamental work of schools: teaching and learning. I struggled to continue to learn and grow as a leader to keep alive a dream of schools as collaborative, reflective places that persistently focused on teacher practice and student learning. It was a hard job, and I am proud of the work I did. I lasted three years. It was only after I left the principalship that I learned that a large body of research confirms that principals work in isolated, often competitive, bureaucratic cultures and that