Rural District Leaders and Place in the Shadow of the Pandemic: Refining the Conceptualization of Leadership of Place as Caring

• In Event: Rural Leadership and Governance During Challenging Times and Change

Abstract

This study examines how leaders in rural districts grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ways in which place/context influenced their actions. We draw on existing conceptualizations of rural district leadership as a form of leadership of place, as well as understandings of the way that leaders’ conceptions of need and political savviness help and hinder their abilities to serve their community. Using interview data from 12 district leaders (superintendents, assistant superintendents, and student services directors) in eight rural districts, we find that district leaders worked to negotiate internal and external tensions and create a culture of care grounded in a thick conception of need.

Authors

• Jeff Walls, Washington State University

• Sarah J Zuckerman, University of Nebraska - Lincoln