The purpose of this study was to determine whether McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y, gender, age, and years of experience of principals form a composite explaining the variation in teacher absences. It sought to determine whether all or any of these variables would be statistically significant in explaining the variance in absences for teachers. The Managerial Philosophies Scale (MPS) developed by Jacoby and Terborg (1975) was used to determine the leadership style of each principal identified in this study. Teacher absences were obtained from the Georgia State Education Department Office of Accountability. A survey was used to obtain demographic data on each principal. Each of the five dependent variables was analyzed to determine if one or any combination of the variables explained the teacher absence data. This study found that there was no statistically significant relationship in the gender, Theory X, Theory Y, age, or experience of a principal that explained the variations in teacher absences. The lack of significance in this study was consistent regardless of the grade level of the teachers. [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.]