The specific purpose of this study was to identify the practices used by leaders of National Blue Ribbon Awarded Schools to successfully turnaround a school or to maintain proficient achievement scores within the school. The school principals answered a four part questionnaire for this study. Part 1 of the questionnaire asked about the extent to which leadership practices were used by educational leaders serving in high poverty communities who transformed low performing schools into high performing schools. Part 2 of the questionnaire solicited information about the relationship between the leadership strategies used and behaviors and perceptions of the teachers. Part 3 of the survey questioned the relationship between the leadership practices and the students' perceptions about themselves and others. Part 4 of the survey inquired about the demographic characteristics of the schools and their leaders. Frequency distributions were conducted to analyze the data from the questionnaire. Based on the findings, the seven practices found in the literature were used to a great extent by Blue Ribbon awarded principals and were contributing factors to the transformation of low performing schools or maintaining high achieving schools. The strategies were: 1) leadership, 2) collaboration, 3) professional development, 4) school organization, 5) data analysis, 6) curriculum alignment, and 7) student intervention. The data analysis revealed that the school leaders observed changes in the teachers' behaviors and perceptions as a whole, specifically in the area of analyzing individual students' data and setting higher expectations for students. Additionally, the data showed that principals noticed changes in students' perception about themselves and others as it related to their competence level and capabilities to learn. Lastly, the data revealed that according to the participants, there were specific practices that impact school turnaround efforts specific to the school's demographics. The conclusion from this study was that the leadership strategies identified in the literature were key contributors in transforming low performing or maintaining high achieving schools efforts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]