An era of high stakes accountability has expanded the necessity for school districts to secure principals with leadership behaviors that encourage successful academic performance. School leaders are sought to deliver practices that guide and empower entire school communities through unprecedented times of educational change. Research studies have declared that leadership behavior is contingent upon accommodating individual differences and a given situation. Thus, principals are challenged to employ qualities beyond those of merely being a school manager. To be effective school leaders, principals must practice versatile leadership behaviors that promote the total school setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership behaviors of African American middle school principals in South Carolina. A total of 27 African American principals participated in this study from a population of 64 principals. Leadership behaviors of principals were analyzed using the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (LPI-Self) by Kouzes and Posner. Leadership behavior scores deriving from the LPI were further analyzed with regards to school size, school location, school report card ratings, and the gender of principals. The independent variable was leadership behavior and the dependent variables were school size, school location, school report card ratings, and gender. Leadership behavior scores from LPI-Self evolved from the five practices of exemplary leadership, which were translated into 30 behavioral statements. A Kruskal Wallis test was used to determine if there were any significant differences in the leadership behavior of African American middle school principals. School location, school population, school report card ratings, and principals' gender were used to further analyze African American middle school principals' leadership behavior. Results from the study indicated that there was no significant difference in the leadership behaviors of African American middle school principals. Leadership behaviors did not differ significantly when taking into account school size, school location, report card rating, and gender. A marginal difference was found in principal's leadership behaviors as it relates to school size. The results of the study suggest that further research may be necessary to confirm the extent to which leadership behaviors were practiced by African American middle school principals. The inclusion of teachers and/or a larger sample group would extend the findings in this study. Additionally, a study that includes other principal groups could determine if leadership behaviors are consistent with findings in this study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]