Exploring The Roles, Responsibilities, And Leadership Styles Of Rural School Principals

<p>Rural schools face challenges that differ from those faced by urban and suburban schools. Many are isolated, located in poor areas, understaffed, and subject to resource scarcity. In addition to these challenges, rural school leaders are often assigned or assume additional roles and responsibilities as school principals. My goal was use Northouse’s (2016) leadership theory to perform a qualitative comparative case study on eight rural school principals in districts in southwestern Wisconsin to explore their roles, responsibilities, and leadership styles. The study found that rural school principals incur multiple, non-traditional, and unfamiliar roles and responsibilities. The study also found that rural school principals employ different leadership styles that support their process, generate influence, persuade and influence groups, and work to achieve common goals. The study gave voice to eight rural school principals, whose experiences showed the nuances of leading a rural school. Recommendations included investment in staffing and professional development training for incoming rural principals. Resistance to change and technology in rural schools both warranted future study considerations.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Hewitt, John L., III

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gizelle Luevano
• Patrick Manuel
• Michelle Collay

• Educational Administration and Supervision
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dune.une.edu/theses/356

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dune.une.edu:theses-1355