Özet:

In an effort to improve the education of all students, much attention throughout the world has focused on the impact the principal plays in this effort. With more women taking on the role of principal, research is needed to examine how women and men lead, and how their leadership style and effectiveness is perceived, by both the principals themselves and the teachers they lead. This qualitative study examines how female and male school principals lead in Turkey and the United States (US), and how their leadership style and effectiveness is perceived, by both the principals themselves and the teachers they lead, in two distinct countries that, despite cultural differences, have committed to the strong belief of a public. The data were analyzed by coding the responses into a number of categories related to gender, leadership style, and descriptive phrases. Results from this study found that, consistent with the literature, gender perceptions of school leadership exist, and influence how principals and teachers perceive leadership along gender lines. Support, resources, and encouragement are needed for those who are currently female principals and for those who are aspiring to become principals. The issue of gender and leadership needs to be addressed in a formal manner at all levels of professional development and leadership preparation.

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