This article reviews original research, sponsored by the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA), to gain evidence-based insights from five case studies of leadership in exemplary elementary schools in Alberta, Canada. Schools were identified by the ATA as sites where effective leadership was practiced. In this study, effective leadership was specifically linked to successful student learning. Over the course of the 2009-2010 school year, researchers spent time in each school interviewing school staff by asking two questions: (1) What makes this school a good place for teaching and learning? and (2) What does the leadership do to make it so? Data were analyzed and categorized into eight themes. This article reviews these themes and theorizes about what lessons these findings might teach for school leaders.