This speech describes ongoing research by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education in Austin, Texas, on the role of the principal in the process of school improvement. Basic assumptions of the research are that change is a process, not an event, that change begins with individuals, and that it involves personal growth; hence, interventions must be related first to people, then to the innovation. Next, "stages of concern" are delineated: awareness, information, personal, management, consequence, collaboration, and refocusing. The current research focuses on interventions by the principal, which have been classified into "game plan components": developing supportive organizational arrangements, providing training, consultation and reinforcement, monitoring and evaluation, increasing external communication, and disseminating. Principals are classified, by leadership style, as either initiators, managers, or responders. The types are described and correlated with their roles as change facilitators. Handouts include a list of "game plan components," a description of change facilitating styles, a list of findings related to the roles of the "second change facilitator" in school improvement, and a list of primary references. (TE)