Specialized Educational Leadership for Rural Students Living in Poverty

Abstract

To serve students living in rural poverty, school leaders must understand intimately the specific challenges that students face. Equally, leaders must embrace and leverage the funds of knowledge and assets that these students, their families, and their communities offer. While these challenges are complex, honoring and leveraging the strengths of rural communities in economic distress provide a pathway for leaders to transform schools into places where rurality is valued and students excel. The authors examine the context of rural students experiencing poverty, describe the characteristics of and challenges faced by rural school leaders, and identify responsive leadership practices. To conclude, the authors exhort policymakers, researchers, and state and district education leaders to cultivate rural school leaders as agents of change.