Analyzing the Leadership Theories and Practices Employed by Black Female Principals and Other Women of Color: A Study of Transformational, Transactional, and Culturally Responsive Leadership

In the context of a leadership preparation program in K-12 education, this article explores aligned theories and practices of leadership that reflect the professional experiences and aspirations of black females who serve as school principals, with a focus on organizational results and equity-oriented improvement in schools. Analyzing a qualitative synthesis of practitioner stories and theory, the study integrates transformational, transactional, culturally responsive leadership analysis, and intersectionality of role expectations. The results suggest that the transformational model of leadership, combined with culturally responsive and evidence-based decision-making routines and distributed approaches, promote instructional coherence, staff capacity-building, and sustained trust among stakeholders. The discussion explores persistent challenges such as stereotype threat, inequitable emotional labor, and policy limitations, and traces repeatable practices that these leaders employ to mitigate stressors through transparent communications, data-informed coaching, and focus on time-bound collaboration. Implications include the need for leadership preparation programs to incorporate raceand gender-conscious practices into the development of aligned theories; the need to evolve district policy to underwrite initiatives that address specific school contexts; and the need to design professional development that enacts embedded networks of mentorship and cycles of reflection, with recommendations that include staged implementation templates and rubrics for evaluation and adjustment.