Research indicates that one critical factor in successful and continuous staff development is consistently strong leadership and support. Leaders need to provide clarity, establish time lines, and keep an end product in sight. Specific administrative tasks include obtaining board support for the inservice education program, securing the needed resources, and promoting the inservice education concept to staff. Drawing on recent studies, this paper summarizes the importance of the principal's support for staff development as an agent for school level change. Principals who understand and participate in staff development activities gain credibility and visibility with staff and parents alike. To be educational leaders, principals must understand teaching methods as well as subject matter taught. According to many studies, the principal serves as head of the school's staff development program, sanctioning teachers' activities by controlling internal resources and rewards and limiting or expanding teachers' access to outside resources. The principal also evaluates teachers' performance and sets norms of collegiality. A principal's attitudes can either make or break an inservice program. A positive school climate should be developed before staff development efforts are made, and improvement goals should be written collaboratively by teachers and principals. A supportive climate is largely influenced by the chief administrator's behavior. Included are 34 references. (MLH)