Principals' instructional leadership has been the focus of research for decades. Research shows that principals' impact on student achievement is second only to teachers (Grissom et al., 2021; Herman et al., 2017). Student literacy achievement concerns that continue trending nationwide, and specifically in North Carolina, indicate the need for principals to have literacy expertise that enables them to effectively support literacy instruction in their schools. Literacy expertise allows principals to be able to identify best practices in content and pedagogy and align feedback and support for teachers based on these best practices. Principals' literacy content expertise allows them to enact literacy instructional leadership that supports teachers and positively impacts student achievement (Boston et al., 2017; Overholt & Szabocsik, 2013; Stein & Nelson, 2003). Principals' background experiences influence how they enact their roles as instructional leaders and the skills and self-efficacy that they bring to their roles (Cunningham & Lochmiller, 2020; Tingle et al., 2019). Part of their background is the content-specific expertise developed through teaching experiences, training programs, professional development, and district priorities and supports. Principals do not always receive the needed training to prepare them for their role as instructional leaders broadly, or literacy instructional leadership specifically. Districts must provide principals support that continues to develop their instructional leadership abilities as well as their content leadership based on district priorities (Miller, 2013; Senol, 2022). The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how middle school principals in a specific, urban district in North Carolina perceived their roles as literacy instructional leaders. The study also investigated the ways that the district influences principals in their roles as literacy instructional leaders and the ways that past and present experiences supported principals' self-efficacy to lead literacy in their schools. Through semi-structured interviews, the researcher asked principals to share their backgrounds as teachers and leaders that now supports their work as principals. Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy framework and aspects of literacy instructional leadership practices guided the data analysis to determine the ways that principals enacted their roles and how they perceived their own self-efficacy in literacy instructional leadership. [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.]