Education research on gifted education has proven to be limited when examining principals' knowledge and skills to lead gifted programs. Professional development provided by school districts and principal preparation programs are lacking in the ability to provide principals with the capacity to impact instruction and growth for gifted students. Many principals rely on their own methods to increase their knowledge, but fall short in being able to increase their levels of self-efficacy as well as their ability to improve staff knowledge, identify effective curriculum and provide the resources needed for gifted programs. The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary school principals acquire knowledge and skills to support gifted education. This quantitative study identified the levels of principal self-efficacy in gifted education as well as examined the knowledge and skills acquired by elementary principals about gifted children and gifted education. In addition, the study also sought to understand if a principal's level of self-efficacy is related to his or her knowledge and skills of gifted children and gifted education. Finally, the study sought to understand the skills and knowledge principals feel they need to effectively lead gifted education. [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.]