Principal leadership significantly impacts student performance, and principal turnover may severely harm student and institutional success in various ways. It is worthwhile to explore how the selection criteria for school leaders can be improved to increase school leader tenure. Existing research on school leadership selection has emphasized that limited attention to research has been paid to inspect principal selection methods and criteria. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how the selection criteria for school leaders in poverty-stricken schools can be improved for their increased tenure through the development of compatibility measures that can appropriately match the leaders with the high-need schools. The guiding theoretical framework for the proposed study is the Transformational Leadership Theory. Formulated by Burns (1978), he defined the transformational leadership approach as one that acts as a catalyst of change within both individual and social systems. A qualitative methodology with a descriptive research design was adopted in this study to contribute to the limited recent literature on principal selection criteria. An open-ended, anonymous, multi-level, qualitative questionnaire was used to gather information from principals of Title 1 schools. The process of data analysis, coding, and theme development followed the six-phase model established by Braun and Clarke (2006). The qualitative study answered three research questions and gathered the data needed to acquire a better understanding of the principal recruitment concern for Title 1 schools in Harris County. The study helped identify the perspectives of Title 1 principals on school compatibility, recruitment, and leadership, as well as other key concerns, including inadequate resources and a lack of engagement from community stakeholders. [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.]