The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to investigate the role of the superintendent in leading the district to be more culturally proficient, resulting in the narrowing of the achievement gap in culturally diverse small districts. Eight superintendents of small school districts were purposefully selected based on their district size and their success in narrowing the achievement gap. Findings suggested that superintendents who recognize the importance of cultural proficiency and declare their willingness to lead the district through necessary focused change to address cultural proficiency lead their districts to reduce the achievement gap.