For principals, the era of accountability has produced a work environment compressed by federal, state, and district mandates on one side, and teacher anxieties and demands on the other. Education research has historically leaned onto examinations of teacher experiences as they navigate changing institutional demands. As building level, meso-institutional leaders, the pressures faced by principals in the era of accountability are unique and not yet understood. This dissertation studies how principals navigate and inhabit the institutional space as they struggle to manage the accumulated expectations and requests that have ultimately defined the era of accountability. I find that principals are often overwhelmed with demanding schedules and mandated policies and procedures even as they acknowledge their value and importance. Inhabited institution scholarship is advanced by understanding the negotiations, tactics, and compromises that principals make in an institution bound by unionized agreements and governed by state mandates. To succeed, principals have to make sense of their role by inhabiting school policies and procedures to manipulate the expectations of their work. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]