ABSTRACT
Effective leaders are those who are able to develop their schools' capacities to continuously improve in ways that meet the demands placed on them and their communities by the ever-changing political, economic, demographic, and sociocultural contextual factors. This chapter contends that effective leadership practices are those that are enacted in contextually-relevant ways and focus on developing other leaders, using data to inform decisions, and creating a culture that supports teaching and learning. It suggests that these practices can be enhanced by connecting such leadership practices to continuous school improvement processes. The chapter discusses the opportunities for and challenges of developing rural school leaders through transformative leadership coaching model. It describes the lessons learned in conducting the Leadership Learning Community and the implications of these lessons for scholars, practitioners, and policy makers interested in rural school leadership development.
