Emerging leadership among African American female educators.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the process of why African-American female teachers seek administration early in their teaching career. This study examines the chronological stages of five women teachers that have begun preparing for an administrative position, thus the researcher is provided key factors to use in further studies.

The phenomenological method of qualitative research allowed me to interview five African-American female teachers to find out why they want to go into administration. Through open-ended interview questions, the interviewee responses revealed common themes, including the importance of mentors in developing leadership skills, post-graduate educational training, community involvement, personal goal setting and meaningful teaching experiences. Despite their limited administrative experience, the African-American women in this study proved successful by capitalizing on these themes.