Too often, school districts treat principals as interchangeable, expecting them to have the same abilities and to perform equally well in all situations. But the true picture of school leadership is much more complex, concludes this report from the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education. The report portrays principals as expert “diagnosticians” and leadership coordinators who know when to take on roles themselves and when to distribute leadership functions to others. It also examines how superintendents, school boards, teachers and university principal-training programs might come to better understand and support principals in this more nuanced view of the role.