School improvement plans became a critical component of school improvement in the wake of the United States' federal accountability systems, including No Child Left Behind (2002) and Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). School improvement plans, or SIPs, were part of a formalized process for compliance purposes and, often, did not impact an organization's performance. The purpose of school improvement plans, under the context of the federal accountability systems, was to develop year-long objectives for each population of students which included year-long strategies and resources. Monitoring of SIPs occurred at the beginning and end of every school year. Research in improvement planning transitioned from the traditional approach of planning to continuous improvement research (CIR). The CIR approach to school improvement planning emphasizes the importance of the practitioner as researcher of short-cycled studies of small changes that lead to more systemic improvement (Deming, 2002). Research also outlines the influence of leadership in school improvement planning. Not all leadership is equal. There are leadership behaviors that influence school improvement. This study sought to determine the extent that principals in Arkansas utilized the traditional approach to school improvement planning or the continuous improvement approach to school improvement planning. This study also sought to determine which approach to school improvement planning influences student achievement, as measured by ESSA School Index. Although there was not much difference in the overall combined means, on average, more principals in Arkansas utilize traditional planning approaches to school improvement planning as compared to continuous improvement planning. The findings of the correlation found that traditional planning and continuous improvement planning are highly related. Leadership factors were also identified as influencing planning. Suggestions are made for practitioners, and further research is recommended in this area. [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.]