The National Institute of Education (NIE) initiated this first national study of the means by which school districts actually choose principals. NIE specified two main research goals for this study: (1) describe and characterize common practices in principal selection; and (2) describe and characterize promising alternatives for the improvement of common practice. This volume of case studies of promising alternatives for improvement is intended to serve as a supplement and companion to the more general reports that resulted from the initiative. These five case studies are based on interviews with 25 to 30 respondents in each school district studied, including central district administrators, principals, assistant principals, and school board members. The first chapter presents a brief overview of the study design and major research findings, along with some suggestions for using the case studies and discussion of questions for future study. Chapters 2 and 3 report on improved practices in Broward County and Hillsborough County, both in Florida. Chapters 4 and 5 describe administrative internship programs in Hayward, California, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Chapter 6 describes the National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP) Assessment Center in Howard County, Maryland. (MLF)