Abstract
Purpose. The primary purpose of this study was to examine differences in the perceptions that men and women high school principals have about their jobs and to identify the discrepancies between the expectations they encountered during their first year on the job. A second purpose was to see if these realities were moderated by the gender, age, ethnicity, professional experience, school size, and school setting. Methodology. This replication study was conducted as ex post facto descriptive research. Questionnaires were mailed to 146 male high school principals in California; 83.9 percent were returned. The procedures used to analyze the data included frequency, percentage, rank order, chi-square test of independence, Yates correction, and the test of significance between proportions. Findings. Men found the task of managing people more important than they had anticipated (.05), while women found the task of establishing and maintaining relationships with external publics more important (.05). Both men and women were surprised by the mental and physical demands placed on them and the number of personnel issues encountered. Men reported that they experienced increased pressure for shared management, a need to manage organizational and community politics, and the added responsibility of finding resources to respond to an increased demand for services. Conclusions. (1) Literature about gender socialization including the informal experiences that men and women have were more useful than the previous positions held in explaining perceptions about the tasks of the high school principal; (2) gender socialization experiences ultimately shaped patterns of behavior and specific ways in which men and women view the role of secondary principal; and (3) changes recognized by male principals in the last three to five years identified powerful factors in the external environment that have caused the role to shift. Recommendations. (1) That professional organizations and school districts provide induction programs that help new secondary principals gain a clearer understanding of the obstacles and issues they will confront; (2) that men aspiring to the high school principalship increase their involvement in professional development activities that focus on the instructional program and human relations skills; and (3) that women learn about managing athletics.