Contemporary models of school reform acknowledge the principal as the passport to school success and the manager of an increasingly complex organization. This digest asserts that principals benefit from professional development that examines best practices, provides coaching support, encourages risk taking designed to improve student learning, cultivates team relationships, and provides quality time for reflection and renewal. Three different philosophical orientations guide the education and professional development of principals: traditional/scientific management, which exposes the principal to the research base on management and the behavioral sciences; craft, in which principals are trained by other experienced professionals; and reflective inquiry, in which the principal is encouraged to generate knowledge through a process of systematic inquiry. The principals' center model reflects the best of each approach, providing opportunities for principals to explore and reflect on current school and leadership topics. The digest notes that if the education change of the new millennium is to deliver on the promise of a quality education for all children, then a different understanding should guide principals' preparation and professional development. Embracing a social reconstructionist orientation toward principal preparation and development would encourage school leaders to create greater equality and social justice both in schools and in the larger community. (Contains 17 references.) (SM)