The Success of African American Students (SAAS) in Independent Schools was a collaborative, longitudinal, mixed-method research project focused on investigating and understanding the variety of social, emotional, and institutional factors that were thought to influence how Black students navigate the independent school environment. SAAS involved researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Graduate School of Education working with faculty and staff from several Philadelphia area independent schools. The SAAS project was supported by five years of funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Finally, SAAS utilized qualitative methods such as focus groups and semi-structured interviews as well as quantitative methods such as questionnaire surveys and behavioral observations.