This handbook discusses the components of McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework, which describes the 21 responsibilities of effective leaders that McREL identified in its meta-analysis of research on leadership (published through ASCD as "School Leadership That Works"). The authors also describe the concept of "balanced leadership," noting that "balancing when and how to maintain the status quo with when and how to challenge it is often the difference between effective and ineffective leadership." Key Ideas include: (1) Focus of leadership--the areas a principal targets for school improvement efforts; (2) Building purposeful community--helping the school community coalesce around clear goals; and (3) Magnitude of change--understanding the implications of change efforts for stakeholders and adjusting leadership behaviors accordingly. A bibliography is included. (Contains 17 exhibits.)