The role of school leadership in educational reform has reached the status of a truism, and led to major changes in school leader recruitment, selection, training and appraisal. While similar policy trends are evident in East Asia, the empirical knowledge base underlying these measures is distorted and lacking in validation. This paper begins by offering evidence in support of this assertion. Then it examines the process of knowledge production as it has unfolded in Western academic contexts. Finally, it assesses the context in East Asia and offers recommendations for accelerating the development of a regionally valid knowledge base. (Contains 5 notes and 1 table.)