It might be tempting to think that smaller, rural schools face fewer challenges, but nothing could be further from the truth. While the number of staff in rural schools can be small, their workload is just as heavy. In fact, many leaders of K-12 schools juggle state and district mandates that touch every grade level. With so much on their plates, how can we help principals maximize new and existing programs?

New Teacher Center has partnered with rural systems in Alabama, Kentucky, and Minnesota as part of several federal grants to implement whole-school coaching and professional learning communities supporting student-centered teacher development and school transformation.

Our experience aligns with and builds from the research on effective school leadership. We’ve found that if leaders aren’t engaged, even the best initiatives stall. But when they do lean in, they create the conditions for success and transformative change. Their involvement drives staff buy-in, high-fidelity of implementation, and results.

“Nothing is more powerful than for staff to see leadership active, engaged, visible in a program or activity they’ve been asked to adopt.”

We spoke with our staff and regional partners from the Alabama A+ Best Practices Center, Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative in Kentucky, and Southwest West Central Service Cooperative in Minnesota to highlight school leader engagement strategies that make the biggest difference in small and rural systems.

1. Start with what leaders value
Effective engagement begins by connecting with what school leaders and their communities care about most: core beliefs, priorities, and vision for optimal learning. We don’t walk in and dictate what needs to happen. We ask and listen:

• What matters most to leaders, the school, and the larger community?
• What do they know about the foundational research and purpose of the initiative?

This approach helps to:

• Identify meaningful entry points, strategic relationships, and points of tension
• Find opportunities to build understanding and share data, relevant research, and findings related to instructional practice and program objectives
• Pinpoint messaging that will resonate with staff for maximum buy-in
• Build strong, shared goals

It didn’t feel like this was something that was being done to them, but it was work that they were really a part of.

2. Align with what’s already on their plates
Help school leaders streamline and align existing initiatives by offering hands-on support to integrate activities into a cohesive, focused strategy. Knowing rural school leaders are stretched, we work to increase focus and alignment and reduce redundancy with:

• Mapping existing initiatives to their school improvement plans
• Collaborating with other service providers
• Coordinating strategic planning sessions
• Connecting to existing professional learning structures

“They had three different learning walks using three different tools. We sat down and said, ‘okay, these are the similarities, ways to increase focus, reduce redundancy, and streamline processes.”

3. Build leadership teams to share the lift
Collaboration is key; forming a leadership team to guide program design, shape training, and lead regular data reviews and reflection distributes load and aligns everyone. In many rural sites, schools don’t have instructional leadership teams. ILTs are critical for building capacity and sharing responsibilities to:

• Build coaching mindsets and practices across departments and staff
• Provide continuity, consistency, and sustainability, especially with leadership turnover
• Support collective accountability for the work

4. Create leader peer networks to share success and learning
School leaders — especially in remote and rural communities — crave peer connection. We sought regular opportunities for leadership to unite, reduce isolation, share ideas, and build ownership for program success, all while creating word-of-mouth demand for the program. Key questions include:

• What existing networks are school leaders a part of that can be leveraged for sharing the work?
• Are there district, regional, state networks where leaders can present on successes and what they are learning?
• Where are other opportunities to build a network or space where school leaders and ILTs can come together to share problems of practice, ideas, and strategies?

5. Plan for leadership turnover before it happens
Leadership changes are common even in small districts. Strong ILTs and a plan for onboarding new leaders keep initiatives from losing steam. Focus on:

• Outlining a transition process in the project plan for leaders and other district staff
• Asking districts to include initiative-focused questions in hiring interviews to communicate the priority and expectation of responsibility
• Repurposing program data step-backs and presentations as standard parts of orientation to the project
• Emphasizing connections to district/school priorities and other initiatives
• Inviting new leaders to forums with leaders from other schools
• Providing opportunities to observe the work

“Even though they were new to the work and likely new to the district, in some cases, it meant a lot for them to see lessons learned and accomplishments and hear feedback from other school leaders currently doing the work.”

6. Regularly connect and communicate with district staff/leadership
It’s important for school leaders to enlist the support of a district liaison — such as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, or curriculum specialist — to help make connections and prioritize the work, especially in identifying throughlines across multiple initiatives. Key questions include:

• Who in central office has the closest understanding and responsibility for the initiative?
• How can school leaders communicate with district leadership related to competing and complementary priorities?
• How can they share program data and progress?

Bonus Tip — Get in the schedule early
Schedule (looking far ahead) activities and send invitations to engage leaders in program updates and data discussions very early in the school year (or even before the school year starts).

Ultimately, it comes down to helping school leaders feel supported and well-positioned to drive initiatives that strengthen their teacher workforce, all while building community, connection, and shared purpose.