CHAPTER 9: African American Women Educational Leaders in Turnaround Schools: Narratives on Transforming Urban School Communities

There is little knowledge on how best to prepare African American women urban school principals to succeed in turnaround schools. Furthermore, scant literature exists that has identified ways in which African American women principals are mentored toward the attainment of their leadership positions. Concurrently, African American female principals in urban turnaround schools receive limited support or resources, which hinders their leadership success in urban schools (Bloom & Erlandson, 2003). Therefore, this chapter illuminates shared common lived experiences of African American women leaders of urban turnaround schools and helps us understand how they make sense of their leadership roles in marginalized settings. This qualitative research utilizes narratives to assess effective strategies for African American women principals transforming turnaround schools. Findings have implications for leadership preparation and practice and provide additional justification for diverse leadership to enhance student achievement.