The newly-appointed research group at ILP, “Education and Social Sustainability in the High North” (EDU-NOR), invites you to an open seminar.
Time: Wednesday 19 September at 12:00-13:00
Location: ILP building, ALR U1.068
The research group EDU-NOR is fortunate to host Dr. Melyssa Fuqua as a visiting scholar for one week in September. Dr. Fuqua is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia. She will be presenting her research on school leadership in rural areas during an open seminar.
This presentation offers findings from a synthesis of rural education research from American and Australian leaders who have conceptualized 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 labor 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. Recognizing 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.