During this era of accountability, the role of the principal has evolved into that of an instructional leader. Because of tis, principals are in a critical position to mediate and moderate initiatives related to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development of teachers in writing. Informed by Lipsky's (2010) theory of street-level bureaucracy, this qualitative study sought to document principals' perceptions of writing instruction in content area subjects as a function of meaningfulness and willingness to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

The researcher employed a multiple-case study design situated within two different middle schools to identify principals' perceptions of writing instruction in middle schools, the factors that influenced their perceptions, and the supports in place to promote successful writing instruction. Findings revealed that 1) principals perceive writing instruction in middle school as both a product and a process based on content area; 2) several factors contribute to principals' perceptions of writing instruction, and 3) writing instruction is supported based on perceived need for resources and the principals' knowledge of available resources to support writing instruction.

Additionally, it is evident from this investigation that principals, as street-level bureaucrats, have access to significant discretionary power in their local context. The significance of this study was that it highlighted the way in which principals' discretionary power may be harnessed to support the implementation of educational reform initiatives. While findings from this investigation are not generalizable, they might be transferable and suggest the need for additional investigation (Seidman, 2006; Yin, 2013).