A Profile of Rural South Georgia Principals

Abstract: A review of the literature on school reform and restructuring reveals that the school principal is a key player in all successful reforms (Marzano, 2003). The effective schools ’ movement recognized the importance of quality leadership by consistently identifying strong instructional leadership as instrumental in creating a school climate conducive to student success. This descriptive study endeavors to explore the demographics and career paths of rural principals in South Georgia. A 21-item Career Path Survey and demographic questionnaire were mailed to all elementary, middle, and high school principals in the 41 South Georgia rural school districts served by our university. The anonymous survey included questions that identified participants ’ educational and professional background and career goals. Of the 241 principals surveyed, 106 elected to anonymously participate, thus representing a 44 % return rate. The findings of this study will assist in the development of profiles of rural South Georgia principals. Such profiles have the potential to inform decisions relating to the recruitment and training of rural school principals. By identifying the career paths and demographics of school principals, school districts and principal preparation programs can better respond to the needs of both preservice and inservice school leaders