Students with special needs deserve a free and appropriate education. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore factors responsible for creating a sustainable literacy initiative in special education schools and in addition, to analyze the effectiveness of instructional leadership in 10 special education schools in a large urban district in the northeast region in the United States. It is the responsibility of instructional leaders to ensure that every student is provided this education, however, there is limited research on which curriculum has proven to be effective for students with limited verbal abilities, and how to properly implement and sustain literacy programs for these students. This research was a qualitative study that used interviews and publicly available data to analyze the factors that led to successful implementation and sustainability of a literacy program. Several findings emerged from this study. One finding indicated that principals of students with special needs shoulder additional complex issues and that additional special education was needed for instructional leaders of students with special needs. Additionally, instructional leaders believed that consistency in implementation, selecting appropriate students, district support in schools, and collaboration of staff led to success in student literacy outcomes. Lastly, the instructional leader plays a crucial role in the implementation and sustainability of a literacy program, professional development, and building internal capacity. Implementing a new program on a small scale initially best ensures successful implementation and sustainability of a program. [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.]