Much attention has been given to the importance of principal preparation programs in equipping principals with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead schools. However despite this attention, many critics from inside and outside the higher education community do not believe preparation programs have gone far enough or have made the necessary changes to insure that principal candidates gain the skills and knowledge necessary for the demands of leadership in contemporary schools. Bandura (1997) found that people’s self-efficacy, the judgments of their personal capabilities, rather than their actual skills and knowledge, is what drives them to achieve goals they set for themselves. Since little research exists that examines principal self-efficacy, or how preparation programs contribute to self-efficacy, preparation program faculty have limited understanding about how program elements positively influence self-efficacy development.