In an effort to support the contention that the levels of student achievement and discipline depend more on administrative style and school ethos than on inner city location and/or social class, race, or IQ of students, an investigation was conducted of a single midwestern urban high school. The procedure consisted of observation and interviews of the principal, three vice-principals, and a representative sampling of teachers, individual students, student groups, support staff, and parents, followed by a review of documentation pertaining to instruction. Eleven separate findings are summarized, suggesting that the administrative style of this school is a negative illustration of the above thesis: student achievement scores are declining because administrative policy does not emphasize high expectations for academic improvement. This lack of administrative involvement in instructional leadership results from a lack of interest therein among administrators, a conflict in leadership style between the principal and his three authoritarian vice-principals, too much concern for administrative tasks subject to evaluation, and a low level of faculty confidence in administrative support for instruction and discipline. Structural constraints on administrative power to upgrade the faculty (i.e., affirmative action quotas, the seniority system) are seen to contribute to a steady decline in instructional quality and to hamper any efforts at effective instructional leadership. (TE)