The education system is governed by rules set in place by the state. Each school has a leader in place to implement and follow these guidelines. How well the leader directs their staff to meet objectives and create a high functioning and successful learning environment is shown in the data produced by student success and teacher efficacy. Effective educational leadership makes a difference in improving student learning. In order to discover what determines an effective leader, this mixed methods study examined the relationship the extent to which leaders, teachers, and supporting staff perceived the leaders as having transformational leadership characteristics. Moreover, parent surveys were distributed to determine the extent to which parents were satisfied in their children's education. The hope of conducting this study was to offer educators, and all interested in promoting successful schools, answers to important questions as they relate to leadership and its impact on student success. The sample (N = 125) included principals (n = 32), teachers/support staff (n = 40) and parents (n = 53) from K-6 schools in two school districts in Southern California. The principals perceived their own leadership to be transformational, and the teachers/support staff perceived their principals to be using transformational style leadership as well. The parent participant data indicated that parents were generally satisfied with their children's teachers. Findings overall showed that leaders in both districts were using transformational leadership style, which appeared to have contributed to the satisfaction of parents with their teachers. [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.]