Resourcing Change in Small Schools

Abstract

The theme of this article is the challenge that school leaders face in creating the conditions for learning in small schools. We draw on the concepts of ‘social capital’ and ‘social entrepreneurship’ to identify tensions and possibilities for school leaders in a case study of a small rural school as they seek to find resources for school-community change. We found that the nature of social challenges increasingly demands that leaders adopt creative ways to counter social disadvantage. School leaders need to rethink existing resources and harness new opportunities for themselves and their communities with implications for the knowledge and skills required of principals and others in schools. The case study demonstrates that leadership for learning requires alternative ways of thinking about and accessing resources to support change for improvement.