The purpose of this study was to gain greater understanding of leadership practices in schools for D/HH students. This study specifically looked at the Four Paths Model of Leadership and sought to explore the variables within the Rational Path Model and school leadership influence on student learning through academic culture, a general term used to encompass academic press, disciplinary climate, and teachers' use of instructional time. The design of the study is a qualitative ethnographic case study. Semi-structured interview data was collected from administrators and teachers to answer the following research question: 1) What are the school leadership practices that improve academic culture in Deaf/Hard of Hearing PK-12 institutions? Additionally, the following sub-questions were answered: 1) How do school leaders improve academic press in D/HH PK-12 institutions? 2) How do school leaders improve disciplinary climate in D/HH PK-12 institutions? 3) How do school leaders improve teachers' use of instructional time in schools? Findings of the study revealed leadership practices that are common in a school for D/HH students and developed greater understanding regarding leadership practices that can lead to greater student achievement for deaf students, specifically in the areas of reading and math. Interview data also revealed a need for additional research as well as additional research questions that could be studied in the future. This study was original in nature in that the four paths model has not been applied to leadership practices in schools for D/HH students. [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.]