Demand for school reform continues to be characterized by a cry to adopt new leadership behaviors and change the preparation of school leaders. Once hired, new school leaders are confronted by the weight of tradition and history in their new jobs. This paper reports on an investigation of the impact of these socialization practices on new assistant principals, particularly women graduates of one leadership preparation program. The paper states that the investigation examined the way in which these women were inducted into school leadership. Each graduated from a newly designed preparation program built around state and national standards, focused on teaching and learning as the central role of schools, and committed to collaborative approaches as the best way to achieve shared goals. It explains that because the study subjects were women, the investigation also explored the impact that gender-associated leadership preferences had on their socialization. The paper notes that preliminary data were collected when the students graduated from the program, and two years following graduation. After each student had completed a second year as a school leader, they were resurveyed. It states that a grounded theory approach was used to analyze student responses. The study in the paper found that during preparation of these new school leaders, the centrality of teaching and learning, democratic leadership, attention to relationships, and decision-making (contextual and grounded in an ethic of care) were emphasized. The paper recounts many examples of the thought provoking, feminine leadership style these program graduates employed. (Contains 65 references.) (BT)