The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of the Leader in Me philosophy to students' equitable achievement in school, by measuring the academic achievement of third through fifth graders in suburban Missouri public schools. A secondary purpose of the study was to inform teachers and school leaders of effective strategies for supporting students across many backgrounds, by studying the effects of the 7 Habits in practice. Students in schools across the United States were facing barriers to equitable achievement due to socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, access to early learning opportunities, cultural barriers, and learning exceptionalities. This study sought to measure the relationship between student achievement in various subgroups in both Leader in Me and non-Leader in Me schools to compare the achievement gap between subgroups and the total population of the school. The sample for the study consisted of third through fifth graders from six public schools in suburban metropolitan areas in the Midwest. The schools were selected based on similar socio-economic composition and similar types of communities, based on reportable data from the state department of education. The scores from the Missouri Assessment Program grade-level assessments were analyzed as a group of Leader in Me schools and a group of Non-Leader in me schools. They were disaggregated by subgroup achievement according to classification as white, non-white, English language learner, students on an Individualized Education Plan, and students qualifying for free and reduced lunch and compared to the total student achievement in each group of schools. The Researcher found that in the schools which used the Leader in Me program, there was an observably smaller difference between subgroup achievement and total achievement in all groups except for the free-and-reduced lunch population. The Researcher further explored the reasons for the impact of the Leader in Me on student equity and made recommendations for further research. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]