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

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