The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) changed the landscape of education nationally. The purpose of this law is to provide a high-quality education to children regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, ability, or background. Effective School Research suggests that successful student learning is linked to the following school characteristics: alignment of instruction and assessment, focused professional development, effective monitoring of instruction, reduction of teacher attrition, and a positive school culture. Successful school principals are closely involved with the teachers' instruction and student learning in their schools. There are few high-poverty, high-performing schools within South Carolina based on school report card data. This study will identify the characteristics of principals, whose schools were identified as high poverty, high-performing according to the South Carolina Department of Education. The principals were identified by school awards received from the State for their perceived effectiveness. (Contains 5 tables and 3 footnotes.)