The purpose of this study was to determine how students in graduate teacher education perceive their leadership behaviors. Subjects were students enrolled in secondary and transition special education programs at a single university who had just completed or were completing a comprehensive clinical internship experience. The major research question was: To what extent do students in graduate teacher education perceive themselves as demonstrating validated effective leadership actions and behaviors? Further, the study examined whether or not there was a difference in leadership practice on the independent variables of (a) gender; (b) age; (c) previous degree earned; (d) graduate program area; number of years of teaching experience; and (f) teaching as a career change. The design was a cross-sectional quantitative survey with a qualitative component. Leadership behaviors were measured using the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (Kouzes & Posner, 1993). Demographic data were collected by a questionnaire. Perceptions of leadership were probed by open-ended questions. Results indicated significant relationships between educational degree and leadership practices. No significant gender differences were found on total LPI scores: however, there were gender differences on single LPI items. No significant correlation was found between career changers and total LPI scores; however, data indicated that career changers engage in speaking with genuine conviction about the higher meaning and purpose of work more frequently than those for whom teaching is not a career change. Findings, implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed.