The purpose of the phenomenological transformative study (Mertens, 2010) is to understand Black teachers' perceptions of students in predominantly Black, low-income schools. Seven Black teachers took part in this qualitative study in individual virtual interviews. Five of the participants were interviewed in a virtual focus group interview. The interview questions were designed to explore the challenges and successes experienced by Black teachers in educating Black students who live in low-income homes. People who operate from a deficit thinking perspective see students who are culturally different from the affluent culture as less capable (Nelson & Guerra, 2014; Shields, 2016; Walker, 2011). Teachers are socialized to perpetuate hegemony the same way everyone else is (Gorski, 2010), and Black teachers are not exempt. Results of this study will show the presence of deficit mindsets among Black teachers. This research study recommends the explicit teaching about systemic racism to help to disrupt deficit thinking at the K-12 levels. The study also suggests transformative leadership as a promising practice to lead professional learning on decolonizing practices that can lead to the disruption of deficit thinking. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]