Recent research suggests a major crisis exists affecting urban children's educational opportunities. This study focuses on the use of research-based strategies to determine whether, and to what extent, transformative leadership influences the development of quality education that overcomes educational inequity in the lives of students who attend Children of Promise Schools and other similar poor urban schools. A central focus of the study highlights the importance of developing organizational and community-wide initiatives to reduce (a) the achievement gap, before kindergarten, through early childhood development programs and (b) the impact and responsibility that faith-based communities have in developing key approaches to empower and provide educational opportunities for underserved families, schools and communities. Additionally, autoethnography and action research methods are used to reveal personal and professional experiences that influenced the author's pedagogical knowledge and practice employed to improve the quality of education for students of Children of Promise Schools in Inglewood, California. Implications and recommendations for further research are also included in the 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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]