In the United States, thousands of students attend urban, secondary schools that are in need of improvement due to their inability to meet state standards (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020a). These schools are in need of transformation but cannot be turned around without the right leader in place (Herman et al., 2008). Turnaround schools require principals who are unique and possess different competencies than effective leaders in adequately performing schools due to the challenges and demands they must face (Hitt et al., 2018; Meyers & Smylie, 2017). Due to a lack of studies on the intricacies of secondary turnaround leadership, this phenomenological study sought to research the characteristics and practices of effective secondary turnaround principals. This study explored the lived experiences of three secondary principals who led schools in urban divisions in Virginia. Using Marzano et al.'s (2005) 21 leadership responsibilities related to second-order change as the framework, semistructured interviews and document analyses were conducted to gather data to answer three questions related to characteristics and practices that were employed during and after transformation. The findings revealed the principals relied upon the utilization of second-order responsibilities related to (a) flexibility; (b) change agent; (c) knowledge of curriculum, assessment, and instruction; (d) intellectual stimulation; (e) ideals/beliefs; and (f) optimizer and one first-order responsibility, culture. The employment of these responsibilities made a positive impact during various stages of the school turnaround process. As a result of these findings, recommendations for the identification, development, and support of turnaround principals emerged. [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.]