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There is widespread recognition that the school principal is a key player in determining the performance of schools. Jamaica’s National Education Inspectorate (NEI) in its 2015 Report found that leadership was unsatisfactory in 38% of schools inspected, and asserts that in all effective schools, the principal is the respected leader of leaders and who empowers teachers and directs them towards the achievement of the stated instructional goals. In countries such as Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, the preparation of school principals involves specialized training. This practice is taking root in Jamaica with the establishment of the National College of Educational Leadership (NCEL) where a specialized programme for the training of principals is offered. In addition to the specialized training which is practitioner and operations based, the Ministry of Education plans to make it a requirement for all principals to have a Master’s Degree.

So while there are fairly well-defined and emerging perspectives that leadership is a critical factor in the performance of schools, the question that remains unanswered, or in need of further debate, is: ‘What leadership qualities should principals possess?’ This paper seeks to answer that question with the help of teachers.

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