In the minds of effective school principals

Around the world organizations and the societies of which they are a part are undergoing profound changes. These complex changes pose real challenges to the theoretical and practical foundations of leadership. The call for effective leadership is, perhaps, more urgent now than any other time in human history. Without effective leadership little positive change will happen. This is now certainly the case in education. Without question, the leadership literature is rich in theories and approaches to describing effective leadership. The lessons we have learned so far is that leadership is more complex than was initially thought. Social life is complex and in constant flux; so are organizations, particularly schools. Effective school leaders must possess excellent problem solving skills and these are grounded in their cognition. To delve into the minds of effective school principals while thinking through difficult problems is the challenge this study takes up.