Instructional Leadership: What Makes An Effective Principal?

Today's successful leaders must not only be good managers, but they are required to be instructional leaders- the CLOs (chief learning officers) of your school. Teachers are the #1 variable in increasing student achievement, but a strong instructional leader falls in the "Best Supporting #2" category.  What are the most important characteristics of an instructional leader with whom you have worked?

Who's the Dog and Who's the Tail?

The frustrating thing about the field of education is that anyone who has gone to school thinks they can tell us how to do our jobs.  In most cases, the people who make some of these ridiculous laws have no clue about teaching and learning, but they come up with some real "doosies" about how we should be teaching and running a school.  Anyone else feeling the frustration?  What should we be doing about this?  What are some of the ridiculous laws that you have encountered?