Administrators Implementing Transformational Leadership Strategies to Increase African American Academic Achievement

Transformational leadership is considered a full range of leadership, meaning it uses many factors to engage followers. With students being viewed as one of the greatest accesses for the educational system, therefore administrators are responsible for designing learning environments that retain, inspire, motivate and are relevant to their student population. The experiences and perceptions of 9 school administrators, from three public high school districts located in the Southwestern and Gulf Coast region of Texas explored the qualitative interpretative phenomenological study of transformational leadership and how implementing transformational attributes (i.e. core values and community involvement) influence the academic achievement rate of African American students within their high schools. Furthermore the study sought to explore how administrators' individual leadership philosophies influenced their organization. The modified van Kaam method contributed to data analysis, which examined administrator responses for comparison and assessment. The themes that emerged from interviews were (a) cultural experiences drives leadership; (b) community collaboration; (c) cultural awareness & customized learning strategies; (d) implementing core value systems; (e) positive relationships. The themes revealed transformational leadership positively influences academic achievement among African American students. Through the implementation of transformational leadership qualities, students were more committed to academic success, actively participated in setting educational goals, and build collaborative relationships with administrators, peers and the community.