Educational leadership is different in the country; What support does the rural school principal need?

Abstract

Investigating the role of school principal continues to be important, for research continues to show that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on student learning. Within the study of school leadership, the differentiated experiences of those leading ‘small’ schools can be overlooked. In Australia, the majority of small schools are situated in non-urban locations and the more distant a community is from a city, the more likely it is to have a small school. This literature review seeks to identify the nature of the professional development (PD) the rural school principal requires, to ensure the PD meets their needs. Results from a review of literature suggest that the role of the rural school principal is different from the metropolitan school principal across a range of areas. This paper recommends that future research focus on ways the rural school principals and training providers can work together to co-create andragogy and co-create content of PD, thereby differentiating the PD for the rural contexts in which rural school principals work.