Although arguments abound concerning school administrators' roles, there is common agreement that principals experience difficulties in prioritizing the numerous demands on their time. In addition to crisis management skills, outstanding administrators exhibit five characteristics identified in an earlier paper. The present paper focuses on effective leaders in language minority schools and is based on two assumptions: (1) principals in these schools need additional knowledge and skills and (2) these schools differ significantly from regular schools. The paper sets the background for discussing administrators in language minority schools, rather than presenting a detailed analysis of multicultural education dynamics. After briefly discussing multicultural schools and immigrant populations in the United States, the paper advocates standardized student achievement tests as the best guideline for measuring school effectiveness. The ensuing discussion is based on interviews with administrators and McCleary's characteristics of good principals. Principals interviewed shared at least five common characteristics: (1) a conflict or crisis that brought them to their present position, (2) high levels of job satisfaction, (3) high involvement and familiarity with classroom occurrences, (4) a strong mission and commitment to bilingual education, and (5) an understanding of the complex issues involved. (MLH)