That the daily challenges facing public-school leaders can sometimes be overwhelming is the underlying theme of this report. The study on which the report is based focused on superintendents' and principals' views on and concerns about leadership. Data for the study were gathered in 2001 from surveys of 853 public-school superintendents and 909 public-school principals randomly selected. The data are presented in text, graphs, charts, and tables in this report. Following are some of the findings of the study. Many administrators believe effective leadership can turn around most troubled schools, but politics and bureaucracy, not lack of funding, are the biggest hindrances. Most superintendents (81 percent) point to politics and bureaucracy as the main reasons for leaving the field. Among the chief complaints of principals is the lack of autonomy to reward exceptional teachers and fire ineffective ones. Some 54 percent of superintendents say they have to work around the school system to get things done, and 10 percent say the system actually hinders their work. About 57 percent of principals say that in their district administrators are so overwhelmed by day-to-day management that their ability to provide visions and leadership is stymied. (Contains 11 endnotes.) (WFA)