Female Middle School Principals\u27 Voices: Implications for School Leadership Preparation

This study was an attempt to add the voices of women to the discourse of sch.ool leadership. It focused on the nature of the middle school leadership experiences of three female middle school principals, their social interactions based on gen- der role expectations and their own leadership perspectives. Findings suggest that middle school leadership is characterized as challenging and sacrificial, that participants initially deny the effect of gender on their performance, but that so- cial stereotypes influence people\u27s perceptions about female principals, and that they tend to be more collaborative and nurturing than their male counterparts. Further, servant leadership and instructional leadership are the two leadership perspectives embraced by female middle school principals