In this longitudinal study of one region in the state of Texas, there was an examination of district leadership and the sustaining of high student achievement for their districts. The results of this study suggest that sustained improvement of student achievement is very difficult. The districts that had sustained improvement had stable district leadership as well as stable campus leadership. Further, some practices were common among the high achieving school districts. District leaders provided strong use of the data and a clear focus on pushing for excellence. The district leaders also encouraged a variety of ways to make the gains, but all ways were closely monitored. (Contains 9 tables.)