School leaders must ensure the schools meet U.S. federal and state guidelines; thereby increasing test scores, as stipulated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates (Sloan, 2007). Increased student achievement continues to be the focus of state education departments because the number of students graduating from high school decreased and elementary school students are failing to master basic math and reading skills (Thornburgh, 2006). Each year, as required under the NCLB Act, officials at the New York State Education Department (NYSED) identify a group of Title 1 public schools in New York City that are Schools In Need of Improvement (SINI). According to NCLB standards, the schools had not made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), meaning they had not reached student achievement targets were set for every school (NCLB, 2002). The principals must develop strategies for improvement by assuming full responsibility, according to NCLB mandates, for the direction of improvement and the results needed student achievement to meet AYP annually (NCLB, 2002). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify successful practices of selected elementary public school principals whose schools earned positive Progress Reports, thereby meeting AYP. Twenty principals indicated the importance of instructional leadership. Principals must be knowledgeable about curriculum and have an ability to lead, guide and monitor instruction. Instructional leaders share the vision, encourage collaboration among teachers by developing Professional Learning Communities and Inquiry teams and by this means promote professional dialogues benefitting both students and teachers, and resulting in student achievement. The potential for increased academic performance depends on the practices and strategies of the school leader responsible for the building. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]