The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the factors influencing the accountability policy and school district efforts to improve student success in British Columbia, Canada. Data were gathered from interviews and district documents related to the 10 districts that received an inspection or district review in 2007. Hand coding identified themes, issues, and patterns at provincial and district levels. The data revealed that government needed to lead policy implementation by clarifying expectations, governance, building district capacity, and responding to districts making limited progress. Influenced by the provincial milieu and dependent on local leadership, factors influencing district improvement efforts included the willingness to change norms, engage stakeholders, and align structures and processes in order to improve student outcomes.