This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to investigate how 14 elementary principals initiated and managed organizational change in high-poverty National Blue Ribbon award-winning elementary schools in rural and urban areas in the United States. Data was collected using a purposeful sampling method using a published list of exemplary high-performing schools. The researcher used "semi-structured" interviews conducted virtually on a secure Zoom platform to capture participants' perceptions of how they achieved excellence and became recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as National Blue-Ribbon Schools with High Exemplary Performance. The study results revealed that leaders used all four tenets of Fullan and Quinn's Coherence Framework - focusing direction, cultivating collaborative cultures, deepening learning, and accountability--to implement the right drivers to initiate and manage change to improve student outcomes that increased student performance. The findings explicate leadership practices that initiate and manage change. These include principal autonomy, building coherent, consistent instructional practices to cultivate collaborative cultures, sharing odds-beating professional development with other leaders nationwide, encouraging culturally relevant and inclusive positive learning environments for students and their families, formulating partnerships with successful schools; promoting a shared purpose that promotes belief, mission, and vision inclusive of all stakeholders; establish goals and high expectations that are clear to stakeholders to deepen learning and find strength in others to increase organizational performance; analyze multiple sources of data to focus the direction of the school and make critical decisions; holding everyone accountable to the children and their parents; transformation of school cultures into places of learning and building relationships with all stakeholders to acquire additional resources for students and their families. [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.]