This paper reports on the qualitative second phase of a mixed method study that examined the relationships among leader preparation practices and leader, school, and student outcomes through the use of two focus groups (N=8, N=7) to investigate the following research questions: (a) What practices are used by leaders to improve student achievement and to improve the school learning environment? (b) What professional learning experiences support school leaders in improving student achievement and school learning environments? A framework emerged based on the analysis to describe the core practices of school leaders and preparation programs. The framework was derived by synthesizing the focus group results, the initial survey research phase (Braun, Gable, & Kite, 2008) results, and the literature on school leader and preparation program practices. These findings support the further inclusion of specific preparation practices into leader preparation programs. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)