How school principals position themselves in times of education reform in China

China has conferred a new historical mission on education where school principals have played a significant role to prepare her young generations to meet the challenges posed by domestic and global changes. To enrich existing understanding, this study aims to provide a thick description of the position school principals find themselves in education reform in China. The description is built on two sets of primary data: qualitative comments gathered through a survey on education reform among 73 principals from a coastal city in Northeast of China and direct responses of 6 principals participated in a focus-group interview. The study can help formulate professional development programs gearing to the aspiration of school principals to help meet the historical mission of education reform in China. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.