As school leaders adjust to the demands of new college-and-career-ready (CCR) standards, research is showing a yawning gap between what students need to know and be able to do to succeed in college and beyond and how schools are currently preparing them. These higher expectations demand a more challenging curriculum, more sophisticated instruction, and more intensive instructional supports. The transition to CCR standards has been a challenge even for the most talented principals, as this work calls for a deep understanding of what the standards are and what they are asking of students and teachers, along with a much more intensive and intentional approach to instructional leadership. To address the issues of what principals need to know and do to effectively lead to higher standards, researchers identified 10 urban schools that were outpacing their district or state peers. Data from interviews, observations, and focus groups with teachers, administrators, and parents found six key instructional leadership practices: (1) Setting a vision for ambitious instruction; (2) upgrading curriculum and instructional materials; (3) Creating systems to support data-driven instruction; (4) Creating opportunities for individualization and intervention; (5) Creating systems for group professional learning and collaboration; and (6) Providing consistent coaching and feedback to individual teachers. [This report was written with Georgia West.]