Accountable school leaders are the key to school improvement, but while school leadership has been described often in many different ways, accountability has been mentioned only in general terms. In "The Expert School Leader," the authors detail a new approach to identifying, analyzing, acquiring, and using specific competencies that are needed for effective and accountable school leadership. The investigations reported in this book identify ways in which leaders can improve their performance and, thus, help to meet the challenge of maintaining safety and rule enforcement. Topics include: (1) Integrating school rules with the law; (2) Helping teachers act from a position of authority when violence erupts; (3) Interpreting student achievement test scores in order to help faculty improve instruction; and (4) Enabling school principals to meet the challenge of managing conflict effectively and amicably. Following the foreword (Bruce S. Cooper), the book is divided into 4 sections: (1) School Leaders Need Special Lenses; (2) Interviewing Specialists; (3) Surveying School Leaders; and (4) Lessons How to Improve School-Leadership Accountability.