Exploring Relationships Between Secondary School Principals' Gender and Campus Ratings in the Texas Accountability System

The gender gap in school principal leadership has continued, despite past records of successful leadership by women principals (Mertz, 2006). In the state of Texas, men staggeringly outnumber women in all of the prominent professions in society. Women in Texas make up 77.3 percent of all teachers (Texas Education Agency, 1998); nevertheless, males dominate in the field of education in administration. Research has shown the gender of Texas school principals has been correlated to state mandated testing for student success rates, but has received very little attention. While many studies have supported the evidence that differences in perception exist among men and women with regard to leadership qualities that equate success (Eagly, Karau,