Instructional leadership is defined in a broader yet more intense definition today than it was 20 years ago. Originally, the role involved traditional tasks such as setting clear goals, allocating resources to instruction, managing the curriculum, monitoring lesson plans, and evaluating teachers. Today it includes much deeper involvement in the "core technology" of teaching. Learning, carries more sophisticated views of professional development, and emphasizes the use of data to make decisions. Attention has shifted from teaching to learning and some now prefer using the term "learning leader" over "instructional Leader." A school's performance-- and, therefore its quality of instruction-- rests squarely on the shoulders of the principal. Preparing for the principalship and its instructional demands before assuming the position can facilitate a principal's efficacy. The author, a school improvement team leader, provides 10 practices which can help assistant principals develop their instructional leadership skills so that they can become more effective instructional leaders.