Rural Principal Skills and Student Achievement 2 RURAL PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP SKILL PROFICIENCY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Because of the importance of developing highly skilled rural school leaders, statewide assessments of 259 rural Texas public school administrators were analyzed to determine principal confidence levels in leadership skill domains identified by the National Policy Board of Educational Administration (NPBEA). Important findings indicate differences exist between rural principal skill sets in relation to campus student academic achievement as measured by state accountability ratings. Leadership skills of rural principals from schools with the state’s highest student academic ratings differed from principals at lower rated rural schools