As schools struggle with student achievement outcomes and school designations, the school improvement process has become a central aspect of leadership and planning for school principals as they work to ensure that every child has an opportunity to succeed. Previous researchers have indicated that culture influences everything that occurs in schools and the building leader impacts the culture and/or climate either directly or indirectly (Deal & Peterson, 2016). Using a constructivist framework, this qualitative descriptive case study sought to understand administrator perceptions of the Illinois "5Essentials," a school culture survey as it affected the school improvement processes, practices and structures within a suburban setting under Every Student Succeeds Act, a reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This study utilized semi-structured interviews of eight school principals and three district office administrators in a suburban Illinois school system combined with an analysis of building school improvement plans, Illinois "5Essentials" Survey data and organizational guiding documents for school improvement. The participants' rich cultural stories uncovered many insights about important influences and experiences that shaped their leadership practices. Thematic conclusions were drawn from the qualitative findings on culture and climate, shared leadership and collaboration, continuous growth and improvement and accountability. The study found that the participants experienced a "love/hate relationship" with the Illinois "5Essentials" and often internalized survey data further impacting their feelings of self-worth and leadership effectiveness. Recommendations to further support building principals included continuous coaching, targeted professional development and critical conversations about data internalization as it related to the Illinois "5Essentials" Survey data. An understanding of administrator perceptions regarding the Illinois "5Essentials" Survey provides insight into how culture and climate data influences school improvement and assists educational leaders in implementing practices, which lead to a path of success, contributing to educational change and improvement. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]