Preparing School Leaders and Developing Rural Leadership Capacity: A Collaborative Effort on the Great Plains

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the early implementation of a university school leadership preparation program and school district collaborative effort to develop school leaders and sustain leadership capacity in nine rural school districts. Emerging findings drawn from survey, focus-group, and participant observation data include (a) the development of a strong leadership network of professional relationships that included peers and district mentors, (b) a sense of individual leadership growth and targeted professional development preparing participants for their next leadership role, and (c) an emerging statewide rural school leadership development network.

Keywords

principal preparation leadership preparation university partnerships rural education

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