Visible now: The challenges faced by Black female principals leading in predominantly White school settings

Black women are rapidly ascending into the position of school leader, a chair that historically has been occupied by White males (Pollard, 1997). While national data reports that almost 12% of principals are African-American (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003-2004), Black women represent a growing proportion within this population, attaining leadership roles as school principals and significantly altering previous historical racial trends. As the percentage of Black female principals increases, Black women will find themselves leading in diverse and predominantly White school settings. Leading in culturally incongruent settings will necessitate the development of resilient behaviors to offset the inherent risks of leading in such settings. Black female principals must develop the skills necessary to rise above the challenges of leading while being the “only”. This qualitative, phenomenological study explored the experiences, challenges, and perceptions of six Black female principals leading in predominantly White school settings in the Northeastern, United States through the lenses of Critical Race Theory, Racial Identity Theory, Phenomenological Variant Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST), and Resiliency. This study investigated their experiences in such settings and how they dealt with the challenges of leading in predominantly White school settings from a resiliency perspective. The research methodology was grounded in phenomenological inquiry that included in-depth, face-to-face critical and reflective interviews, writing prompts, and the examination of archival data as well as the use of one quantitative instrument, the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS). This research sought to document the uniqueness of this experience, describe how Black female principals cope despite adversity, (c) inform the field of educational leadership of the successful leadership of these women in predominantly White settings. The data demonstrate that Black female principals are subject to vulnerabilities when leading in predominantly White settings and face specific challenges related to context, race, and identity. They overcome such challenges through specific resilience coping mechanisms, demonstrating that despite the circumstances, they are resilient leaders