Transforming failing schools presents special leadership challenges. What do successful “turnaround” principals actually do? What skills do they need? Where should we be looking for such leaders and what support do they need? For answers, The Wallace Foundation asked Public Agenda to interview principals currently working in high-needs schools as well as education leaders with experience working with effective principals. The results of these interviews can be found in this preliminary report (a final report by Public Agenda is expected later this year). Among the many preliminary insights from these interviews: school leaders tend to fall into two categories – “transformers” who have a clear vision for their schools and a can-do attitude that enables them to get past obstacles; and “copers” who seem overwhelmed by the challenges and have difficulty prioritizing teaching and learning.