This article discusses the research concerning the relationship between the organizational and social context of schools and principal instructional leadership. The discussion centers on several contextual variables that include school level, staff composition, technical clarity and complexity, and district context. Particular attention is focused on the ways in which the social context of schools influences the principal's leadership role. Findings support the notions that the nature of the school's technology, the type of district support, the characteristics of the teaching staff, the school level, and the social context combine to form a school culture all of which creates a context for principal action, and more specifically, an appropriate style of instructional leadership. (JAM)