This study examined Ohio public school principal perceptions of students with disabilities and leadership practices. Q methodology provided insight into how mindset orientations manifest in leadership and decision-making in the face of accountability for improved outcomes for students with disabilities. Despite general orientation toward a growth-mindset, analysis of Q-sorts completed by 20 public school principals resulted in three factor groups. Shared viewpoints emerged representative of Empowering, Constrained, or Pragmatic leadership practices. Empowering Principals reflected a high sense of efficacy in the ability of staff and students to learn and develop, collaborative problem-solving, shared leadership decision-making, and minimized the existence of staff resistance or operational barriers. Constrained Principals highlighted the difficulties of operational barriers, staff resistance, and difficulties in differentiating to meet student needs. Constrained perspective expressed frustration, limited ability to meet expectations and less collaborative planning for student learning. The final group discussed the struggle of the school experience for students with disabilities. Pragmatic Principals prioritized dealing with day to day emergencies, attendance and discipline issues and expressed limited site-based input in leadership decisions. Implications support the critical role of the principal and suggest that orientation and leadership practice may be just as important, if not more so, than the skills and behaviors outlined in professional standards or acquired through experience. Empowering Principals' perspective could be leveraged to set vision, create culture and establish the collaborative leadership necessary to contribute to narrowing the gap that has existed between students with disabilities and nondisabled peers despite legal and accountability mandates. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]