The purpose of this phenomenological narrative was to examine the experiences of principals in highly rated schools serving elementary through high school grades in central and southwest Louisiana in regards to transformational and transactional leadership. Highly rated schools are defined as schools achieving an A or B rating under the Louisiana accountability system. Interviews with six participants were analyzed in order to understand the lived experiences of the principals (Moustakas, 1994). The researcher concluded that the participants exhibited a full range of leadership behaviors, consistent with Avolio's (1999) full range leadership theory. Implications for practice included recommendations for enhanced training for principals in regards to transformational leadership in addition to teacher leadership opportunities along with increased opportunities for teacher professional development, especially in job-embedded professional learning communities, and looking at the specific job description and expectations for principals serving in schools covering elementary through high school grades. A final implication involved modifying the current principal evaluation instrument so that it is in line with essential principal job duties. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]