Research discloses that principals' effectiveness influences student success (Stronge, 2008). This study examined the extent of congruence between the daily activities and espousals of four middle school principals, and the extent their daily activities were artifacts of their values and beliefs about leadership. Also, this study examined if principal's espousals and level of efficacy effected the teaching practices of staff, and if these findings were congruent with API scores of three years. The methodology in this study represents a merge and adaptation of existing methodologies. Using an interview protocol adapted from the GoodWorks project (Gardner et al., 2001), participants espoused their values, goals and vision. Principals' efficacy level was obtained from two surveys and validated by two teachers. Principals were shadowed for 2 days using a modified technique of Experience Sampling Method, by employing digital photography at 20-minute intervals, and anecdotal notes. The digital photography captured in-the-moment reports of principal's daily activities. During postshadowing interviews, the photographs and anecdotal notes were referenced while participants reflected on their activities, motives, and experiences, and narrated what they perceived to be real. The level of coherence was determined by analyzing the espousals with principal's actions. The 3-year API growth of each principal's school was taken from California STAR test results and examined in light of principal's level of coherence to determine any congruency. The findings revealed a lack of coherence between participants' espoused vision and actions, and governing values produced varied beliefs about leadership. A major finding: the participant with the higher degree of congruence between actions and vision, had the highest level of efficacy among the group, and her school showed upward API growth during her tenure. The level of coherence of principals in this study, revealed a possible link to values and beliefs, efficacy levels and the school's API growth. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]