Background: Literature in the field of school leadership substantiates principals' influence on student achievement. There is less clarity about principals' influence on school turnaround or the competencies needed for principals to effectively turn around schools. Research Design: A two-phase, mixed-methods study design analyzed 41 behavioral event interviews conducted through the Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) to identify and develop a competency model for school turnaround leaders. Study participants were candidates for principalships of schools engaged in turnaround and were grouped according to the school's performance to which they were eventually assigned. In phase one, we inductively derived seven competencies that capture the specific actions, thoughts, and behaviors of turnaround principals. In phase two, we correlated the competencies with performance data. Conclusion: Our research provides a framework for the actions, behaviors, and dispositions associated with successful turnaround principals. School turnaround principal selection and recruitment stand to benefit from this work.