This study looked at 15 purposefully selected urban high school principals and how they managed external mandates within the context of instructional leadership. The goal of this research was to determine whether or not principals, or the perceptions of the principals, influenced their strategies of effectively balancing external mandates and also the instructional leadership. The Common Core State Standards were used as an example. The study also sought to determine not only what strategies principals used to balance external mandates within the context of instructional leadership but also the difficulties and uncertainties in doing so.
