This paper aims to report a study that develops knowledge of the geographic periphery as architecture for leadership practices by principals in small primary schools with no more than four teachers. The geographic periphery has different prerequisites from geographic centers. Sweden is a rural country that also has large cities which attract…

Many evaluation systems feel like a series of hoops to jump through. Some require goal setting, some require elaborate data collection, and some are a little of both. Regardless of role, it often becomes a box-checking exercise and not a reflective, meaningful process that engenders growth for those engaged in it. In the small rural district of…

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of school building leaders (SBLs), also referred to as principals, regarding their facilitation of social justice leadership (SJL) and culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) practices to support student inclusion and belongingness within…

The purpose of this study was to understand how traditional public school principals perceive charter schools. In this qualitative study, I interviewed ten traditional public school principals from the same rural public school system in North Carolina. The principals shared their perceptions of charter schools based on their current and previous…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore factors that contribute to the retention of secondary school principals in rural settings in Missouri. The overarching research question this study sought to answer is: What factors increase longevity in secondary school principals in rural settings? The three conceptual underpinnings--rural…

Principals can affect several consequential schooling processes and outcomes. However, their effectiveness varies substantially and is distributed across schools inequitably, underscoring the importance of effective principal professional development (PPD), which begins by using needs assessments to inform PPD content. A researcher-practitioner…

This study examines the leadership literacy of rural kindergarten principals in Guangxi, China, focusing on their administrative, pedagogical, and strategic planning competencies. Despite national initiatives to modernize early childhood education, rural school leaders face challenges in school administration, instructional leadership, and…

This study explored the phenomenon of collective leader efficacy and its potential influence on principal perceptions of self-efficacy with high school leaders in rural school districts. Research shows that school leaders have a positive impact on student achievement and the overall culture and climate of a building (Waters et al., 2004). Yet,…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how rural Arizona teachers describe the influence of their school principals' transformational leadership styles on teachers' organizational commitment in rural Arizona schools. The theoretical foundation for this study was transformational leadership theory. The research questions…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences, leadership evolution, and decision-making criteria of rural, novice principals in the state of Missouri during the crisis known as COVID-19. Using Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory, the researcher examined the participants' perceptions of their…

Principals' experiences in rural schools often differ from that of their urban and suburban counterparts. They often experience challenges that are not only unique to their specific contexts but influence their roles as instructional leaders. With instructional leadership at the forefront of the principalship, it is important to explore how rural…

In a time in which teacher recruitment and retention play such a vital role in reducing the teacher shortage, principals need to be cognizant of their leadership style and the potential impact it can have on not only teachers, but on the school climate as well. Within this study, I explored the relationship between leadership style and school…

This quantitative study aims to determine if there is a relationship between principal longevity and student achievement in selected rural high schools in Mississippi. The study focused on fourteen (14) selected high schools in districts in rural Mississippi and the tenure of their principals during the years of 2017-2018, and 2018-2019.…

School improvement and accountability pressures heightened at the turn of the 21st century, with the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 and with the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. These actions spurred research to facilitate school improvement and meet state standards. Researchers identified a strong correlation between a…

Failure and drop-out rate in rural high schools (RHSs) in South Africa remains a prevailing crisis. This has been attributed to issues such as poor/limited infrastructures, poverty, unemployment, among others. Thus, this case study explores the issue of a purposively selected South African Rural High School (RHS) with 15 years' success rate at…