Often unrecognized for their accomplishments, women of color in educational leadership positions are change agents whose practices must be analyzed in order to transform education at all levels. Dr. Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy (MHBA) Middle School in Brownsville, New York City--one of the poorest…

This qualitative study investigates factors that influence the persistence of Black female principals of secondary charter schools. It examines the motivators that drive their commitment, the systems challenges that lead to thoughts of exiting their role, and recommendations for strategies that Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) can utilize…

Purpose: This study aims to provide quantitative knowledge concerning the leadership of Black women principals in American secondary schools. We examined (1) the demographic composition of the schools in which Black women principals serve, (2) these principals' instructional leadership behaviors, (3) the collective responsibility among teachers in…

Black girls have been at the forefront of educational change as leaders who "run the show" throughout history yet their unique contributions are missing from books and classroom materials, and their perspectives excluded from definitions of leadership. To address these deficits, we interviewed 21 Black girls enrolled in a summer program…

Black girls have been at the forefront of educational change as leaders who "run the show" throughout history yet their unique contributions are missing from books and classroom materials, and their perspectives excluded from definitions of leadership. To address these deficits, we interviewed 21 Black girls enrolled in a summer program…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how African American female secondary principals in the United States describe their leadership strategies to promote positive climate and culture in their schools. The study was grounded in the theoretical framework of transformational leadership theory. The research question was:…

Since the passage of early federal K-12 school legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 and its many evolutionary successors including the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) there has been increased scrutiny on low-performing schools and particularly their leaders. These…

In this exploratory review, I consider research on Black women principals for the period 1993 to 2017, using 57 research reports obtained from dissertations, journal articles, and a book chapter. This exploration is of particular significance given the continuous disenfranchisement and subsequent underachievement of Black children in U.S. schools…

The purpose of this article is to examine how the high school setting assisted the leadership development of African American males. Additionally, we explored how the leadership developed in high school was applied in the post-high school setting. We utilized purposeful sampling to identify and recruit African American male scholar-athletes (N =…

This research study was conducted as an autoethnographic study of me and supplemented with three African-American female administrators' perspectives and experiences as school administrators. The narrative process was used to tell all of our stories. The narrative process enabled me to tell my story and how my story relates to the stories of…

In the 1960s, as part of the black freedom struggle in the United States, African-American educators increasingly achieved the position of school principal in the nation's big cities, helping to transform that office into a more dynamic force for school reform. This article presents the accomplishments and the struggles of one such principal,…

The purpose of this article was to determine to what extent does a principal candidate's race determine his or her placement. Critical Race Theory was used as a theoretical framework to illuminate possible bias and provide socio-historical context. The authors surveyed 302 secondary school principals in a designated southeastern state concerning…