Approximately 7% of all U. S. K-12 schools have received the United States Department of Education's (USDOE) National Blue Ribbon (NBR). Information was needed about how leaders prepare their schools to earn this award. This study was focused on the leadership practices of school principals honored with the award between 2005 and 2021 to learn more about this gap in leadership practice. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how NBR-award principals describe the leadership practices that enabled them to build school environments worthy of the highest designation a school can receive from the USDOE. The conceptual framework included elements from instructional leadership and transformational leadership. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with seven NBR-awarded leaders from across the country, each representing one of seven types of school environments: conventional public middle schools and high schools, charter schools, magnet schools, parochial schools, Montessori schools, and independent schools. A combination of apriori, open, and axial coding was used to support thematic analysis. The NBR-awarded school leaders focused on quality curricula, core instruction, and high expectations; they inspired teachers to innovate, trust, and lead; collaboration was expected and supported; and lifelong learning was vital for them, for their colleagues, and for the students. The participants described using a combination of instructional and transformational strategies to create successful school environments. Implications for positive social change include enhancing capacity for school administrators to emulate the leadership styles, behaviors, and practices of NBR-awarded principals to improve schools and their communities. [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.]