Stephanie Hirsh and Joellen Killion open their book The Learning Educator: A New Era For Professional Learning (NSDC, 2007, p.11) with these words as they outline a set of eight principles to guide professional learning in the coming years. After reading about effective professional learning for principals, the connection between the words “principle” and “principal” seems obvious. If we replace the word principle in the paragraph above with the word principal, we have a rough, if simplistic, vision for the effective school leader. In the context of systems and schools that embrace effective professional learning, principals — that is, school leaders — nurture environments where their sound leadership influences shared decision making. Principals guide schools in solving tough problems for children. They help to establish