Federal legislation requires all low-performing schools to create yearly school improvement plans (SIPs), and in many cases, school principals are responsible for conceptualizing and drafting the SIP. However, this year-long approach may not create the necessary focus and sense of urgency low-performing schools need to learn, adapt, and turn themselves around. School principals facing high-stakes accountability demands for rapid school improvement might be better served by engaging in short-cycle (e.g., 90-day) school improvement planning. In this descriptive study, we review 410 short-cycle SIPs developed primarily by school principals leading turnaround initiatives in 194 schools in the United States. Our results discuss the priorities identified by school principals and how those priorities change over four planning cycles. Additionally, we assess the alignment between plan priorities and the literature on turnaround principal leadership. We conclude with a discussion about reconsidering the reliance upon year-long SIPs and how alternative planning processes might create the conditions for sustained organizational change in low-performing schools.