Alternative certification programs have been created to fill vacant educator positions in the widening educator shortage. The purpose of this qualitative generic study was to understand alternative leadership preparation programs (ALPPs) by interviewing school leaders that received their school leadership certification at an ALPP. The gap is based on a study that was conducted that explored the effectiveness of alternative leadership preparation versus traditional preparation. The characteristics of these programs are fast paced, and job-specific training to prepare individuals for school leadership. Many studies did not include the perspectives of school leaders on the preparedness to be a school leader. The researcher developed the research question to better understand alternative certification programs. The research question in this study is: How do school administrators who have completed an alternative leadership preparation plan (ALPP) describe their experiences in a K-12 school leadership role after attending an alternative route program? A basic qualitative methodology was utilized for this study. The guiding theoretical framework utilized constructivist learning theory, adult learning theory, transformational leadership theory. The population of the study were K-12 school leaders in the United States who attended an ALPP for their school leadership certification. Data was collected through semistructured interviews. The researcher c to developed data to develop themes. The findings of this study indicate that school leaders that attended an ALPP for their school leadership certification were able to construct their knowledge and were prepared to be a school leader because of their ALPP. Future research could examine a case study of ALPP programs to further understand the qualities and effectiveness of an ALPP. [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.]