Managing student misbehavior at school is a reality today's school staff must be prepared for. Researchers and practitioners have been implementing a variety of strategies to support students with challenging behavior; however, the opportunity gap for specific students continues to exist. The number of students who are excluded, suspended, or expelled from public schools is increasing every year. The gap is so vast even state legislators have become involved and mandated that schools reduce the number of classroom exclusions, suspensions, and expulsions in an attempt to keep students at school to access academic instruction. The decision to exclude a student from school often falls within the responsibility of a school administrator. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the skills and attitudes that current elementary school administrators utilize, and the barriers they encounter in their lived experiences, to support students with challenging behavior. A better understanding of what school administrators must be able to do in today's school reality is a beginning step to improving overall student outcomes and finally being able to close the achievement gap. The data from participants' lived experiences identified specific skills administrators use to support students with challenging behavior, attitudes administrators have towards their role in keeping students in school, and common barriers they have encountered as they uphold Washington state legislative mandates. [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.]