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…

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,…

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…

There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

This article focuses on Nordic school leaders and how rural principals experience autonomy and control in current governance regimes using a sample of principals in the very north of Norway and Sweden as a case. An analysis instrument constituting four different schooling domains (educational; social; developmental; administrative) and the ways in…

The 108 Curriculum Guidelines (108CG) were implemented in high schools in Taiwan in 2019 and have increased the flexibility of curriculum offerings. Schools must now offer diverse curricula, flexible options and self-directed learning courses based on students' needs and teachers' expertise. This study explores how rural high schools in Taiwan…

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlation research is to determine if and to what extent perceived principal leadership styles predict teacher job satisfaction for K-12 educators in an education association in a northeastern rural school district in North Carolina. Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs…

Unfilled teaching positions are rising in South Carolina, increasing year over year. To combat this problem of practice, I conducted an improvement science study to understand factors that impact teacher satisfaction levels aimed to raise teacher retention rates. The study aimed to allow teachers to identify areas that school administrators can…

Purpose: This paper presents a case study of successful rural school leadership in Victoria, Australia. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices were adapted to secure rural school success. Design/methodology/approach: The author used the International Successful School Principalship Project research protocols to…

An increasingly large number of students are experiencing test anxiety in the school setting. Cognitive Interruption Theory (CIT) can explain why students who experience test anxiety can lose their prior knowledge while in a testing setting. Schools often use traditional identification strategies to address test anxiety; unfortunately, these…

An increase in the enrollment of elementary school students who do not speak English as their first language has led to initiatives to provide effective instruction for these students which require effective leadership. The problem is that leadership practices have been unsuccessful in supporting dual language elementary school teachers, and…

This case study focuses on the preferred instructional approaches of integrative STEM education as students encounter authentic problems in their community, analyze data, and share their evidenced-based explanations and solutions with external audiences. As the case unfolds, school leaders encounter tensions among family and community members, and…

Despite interventions to decrease teacher turnover, there remains a 16-24% teacher turnover rate at one Southeastern School District (SSD) in the United States. There is a gap in practice related to the successes and challenges of retaining teachers in the local setting. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the teacher…

This paper explored the factors influencing the leadership strategies of school principals in rural primary schools regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the process of teaching and learning in their schools. School principals are responsible for ensuring that there is ICTs integration in their schools'…