Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) School Leadership Project has adopted as a central educational strategy, problem based learning and its sub-model, problems of practice, in its program to prepare school leaders. Problems of practice is an active learning model that involves students in taking responsibility for their learning by immersing students into the problems of school administration by placing them at building sites with practicing administrators. In one of two projects, students sharpened their written communication skills by working in teams to write a memo to an area superintendent suing specific guidelines. In another project on time management, students were involved in a range of activities faced by a school principal. Over an hour or two they handled correspondents, dealt with interruptions, conducted a classroom observation, met with hostile parents, handled telephone interruptions, and made an oral presentation to a group of concerned parents. Principals from area schools provided realism by serving as hostile parents, being telephone interrupters, and concerned parents. Following the experience students worked in groups to establish priorities for the tasks from the time management activity. Student feedback has been consistently positive. Program advantages and pitfalls are noted in detail. (Contains 40 references.) (JB)