This chapter focuses on understanding the knowledge base of the region and examines the diversity of educational leadership practice and research. Understanding educational leadership research across Asia presents a significant challenge due to the continent's wide-ranging diversity. The chapter draws on one tranche of research which analyses the extent of available, published and peer-reviewed research in leading journals of educational leadership and management. It considers educational leadership and management knowledge production across Asia. This analysis suggests several challenges and limitations with regard to the extent and depth of scholarly understanding of educational leadership in the continent. The chapter presents a synthesis of findings from a second tranche that reviews indigenous research conducted in five East Asian societies: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam. It examines the reviews of research on educational leadership in Asia with a view towards examining how the role of principals have developed in an era of reform and factors that have shaped this role.