This narrative case study research project focused on African American women principals and the leadership qualities and competencies that they bring to an urban school setting. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American women principals and examine the influence of this past experience, identify common threads among these African American women principals to see their perceptions as to what competencies a leader needs to bring to a school, and to determine if African American women principals have specific leadership characteristics that help them impact the urban schools. The data for this narrative case study were collected from one-on-one interviews with 6 African American women principals in the Pittsburgh area.

The interview protocol was reviewed and validated by a team of professionals from Robert Morris University and one professional from Duquesne University. This case study's key findings relate to the themes of call to leadership, teamwork and collaboration, beyond academics, community involvement, and spirituality. The emphasis of the special leadership qualities and competencies brought by these African American women is transferable to other school leaders in hoping to create effective schools.