North Carolina's Race to the Top (RttT) grant earmarked approximately $17.5 million to "increase the number of principals qualified to lead transformational change in low-performing schools in both rural and urban areas" (NCDPI, 2010, p.10). To accomplish this, the state established three Regional Leadership Academies (RLAs) "approved for certifying principals [and] designed to . . . provide a new model for the preparation, early career support, and continuous professional development of school leaders" (NCDPI, 2010, p.10). This article describes the independent evaluation of this initiative including the recruitment, selection, training, placement, and expenditure processes associated with each RLA. [NOTE: Page 103 was removed from the attached PDF because it was a blank page.]