The Role of Rural School Leaders in a School-Community Partnership
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2020.v10n1p73-91Keywords:
rural school leadership, school-community partnerships, boundary spanning, school leadersAbstract
Rural schools play central roles in their communities, and rural education scholars advocate for rural school-community partnerships to support school and community renewal. Across the United States, including in rural areas, formal models for school-community partnerships have been scaled up. The literature on rural principals highlights their roles in developing school-community partnerships, yet questions remain as to how school leaders engage in such partnerships. Using boundary-spanning leadership as a theoretical lens, this descriptive study examines the role of district and school leaders in a regional school-community partnership, including as founding members, champions of collaboration, cheerleaders for the partnership, and amplifiers of often excluded voices.
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