Pupils, teachers, and principals in urban elementary schools were interviewed to determine how administrative leadership styles and types of feedback mechanisms affect the academic achievement of two groups of pupils: those enrolled in Title I remedial reading programs, and those enrolled in the regular curriculum. Two components of administrative leadership were investigated: a principal's concern for group/person maintenance, as demonstrated in his ability to consider teachers' opinions and needs in decision making; and his emphasis on task, determined by his familiarity with classrooms and clasroom strategies. The types of feedback mechanisms were the degree to which teachers monitored pupils' work and progress, and the school's concern for pupil socialization and development. It was found that while a task oriented principal might seek to influence educational processes more systematically than a person oriented principal, the latter was more likely to elicit stronger response or commitment. Children with remedial needs were observed to respond to school management practices oriented toward social integration (group maintenance and pupil socialization), while children in the regular curriculum were found to respond better to practices oriented toward academic intensity (task orientation and classwork monitoring). The results suqgest that improving academic achievement requires the use of different methods among different groups of pupils. (MJL)