Welcome to a seminar where Dr. Melyssa Fuqua from the University of Melbourne discusses a paper exploring various principles and practices for effective leadership in rural areas.
This paper offers findings from a synthesis of rural education research from American and Australian leaders who have conceptualised and led a range of rural education initiatives and research. Rural areas in America, Australia, and the UK are experiencing population declines shaped by global economic and technological shifts, increased population mobility, limited labour market demands, and aging populations which affect education and leadership demands. Worryingly, high numbers of principals intend to leave the profession. Against this background, we explore the concept of “leading rurally” through the stories of those who engage in this work providing insights, challenges, and innovations for others internationally to consider. To lead rurally is to be a ‘place-serving leader’, one who considers ‘place’ to be an active, equal partner. Recognising place as sociologically, geographically, and politically contested is important so leaders can navigate these spaces; place-serving leaders need to understand and view their roles within these diverse socio-geo-political places.
We sought a range of different types of ‘leaders’ in a variety of rural education contexts and asked them to share stories about what it means to “lead rurally”. While the stories are American and Australian, we contend that the insights and strategies proposed are universally useful since they are shaped by local manifestations of challenges faced in many international contexts. The storylines that carried across all that were shared were the importance of: standpoint, collective leadership skills, working ‘out of place’, and adopting an intergenerational approach to leading in rural contexts. These form the foundations of a place-serving rural leader’s toolkit which educational leaders worldwide can take up and adopt to suit their context.
Dr. Melyssa Fuqua is a Melbourne Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Education. Her research explores how sporting clubs influence aspiration and participation of rural youth in tertiary education and work, and the clubs’ role in their wider community.