Leading a successful rural school in Australia
Journal of Educational Administration
ISSN: 0957-8234
Article publication date: 31 May 2024
Issue publication date: 12 June 2024
Abstract
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 develop a multiple-perspective, mixed-method case study that investigated the principal's leadership at the school.
Findings
The findings illustrate how the leadership practices of the principal healed the fractured school–community relationships, which allowed the school community to work together towards a common school vision. A key factor in the school's success was the principal's personal connection to the local rural community of which he was a part. This notion of native connection could have practical implications for the recruitment and retention of rural principals in the future.
Originality/value
Whilst it is widely acknowledged that principals need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, there have been few studies that have focussed on understanding how this can be achieved in the context of rural schools. This case provides a rich account of a principal's leadership practices in one successful school in rural Australia.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.
Citation
Hudson, C. (2024), "Leading a successful rural school in Australia", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 62 No. 4, pp. 417-430. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-02-2024-0037
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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