Planning for principal succession has become necessary for school districts to improve and sustain student academic success. As a result, some school districts prepare for principal succession by building capacity through acquired experiences and increased leadership competency in potential principal candidates using the "grow your own" philosophy through principal preparation academies. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the body of literature on district-developed grow-your-own principal preparation programs. The researcher designed this Q methodology study to examine the effectiveness of one suburban North Texas school district's Grow Your Own Principal Preparation Institute in the area of increased competence through the five Texas Principal Standards: (1) instructional leadership, (2) human capital, (3) executive leadership, (4) school culture, and (5) strategic operations. Q methodology encompasses qualitative techniques to investigate principal perceptions by gathering concourse statements, composing a Q sample, and using quantitative techniques to allow the researcher to subjectivity. The results from the study centered around 3 Texas Principal Standards, instructional leadership, school culture, and executive leadership. [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.]