This study was undertaken to provide a comparison of primary/elementary teachers' perceptions in Australia and the United States of the skills, competencies, and behavioral attributes that principals should possess to administer an effective school. Utilizing the Audit of Principal Effectiveness, 140 primary teachers in Australia and 347 elementary teachers in the United States rank ordered an 80-item validated questionnaire according to the degree of importance each item had as it related to principal/administrator effectiveness. A 9-point Likert scale assisted the subjects to rank order the first 79 statements. Item 80 consisted of an overall rating. The items were grouped into three domains and nine factors. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to assess response differentiation. Significant differences were found for all nine factors, with 14 items contributing most to the differences observed. The differences are partially explained by variation in organizational structure. The Australian system of primary education is characterized by central control at the state level. Control of elementary education in the U.S. is decentralized at the school and district level. Consequently, the Australian principal has less autonomy because autonomy is shared to a greater extent with other professionals, especially at the system level. Because of the principal's place in the educational structure in Australia, greater attention is devoted to organizational procedures and teacher relations. (JAM)